Former Kamloops teacher banned from teaching

The decision does not state what district Cederholm was employed in during the reports, but minutes from a June 2016 PAC meeting at Juniper Ridge Elementary School show Cederholm was expected to leave that school by the end of the year.

Other reports indicate Cederholm had taught at other schools across the Thompson region. Cederholm’s LinkedIn profile shows he graduated from Thompson Rivers University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Education.

On Feb. 24, 2017, the district issued Cederholm a letter of reprimand and suspended him for two days without pay. This was the first of four incidents involving Cederholm.

On April 4, 2017, the district made a report to the commissioner regarding Cederholm. The consent resolution states during January and February 2017 Cederholm exchanged inappropriate messages with a 14-year-old girl who he had previously taught when she was in elementary school.

In the course of the exchanges, Cederholm sent the student a picture he had taken of some of his current elementary students. In February 2017, Cederholm used Instagram to contact a second 14-year-old student he had previously taught. She in turn blocked him from contacting her, according to the resolution.

On March 16, 2017, the district terminated Cederholm.

One month later, the district told the commissioner that a parent had reported communications their daughter had with Cederholm. The commissioner initiated an investigation into the allegations.

During the 2016 and 2017 school year, over the course of roughly one week, Cederholm had sent inappropriate messages to a 16-year-old student. Cederholm also showed her text messages he had exchanged with another person about her.

“The student felt so uncomfortable that she blocked Cederholm from contacting her on social media,” the resolution states.

The fourth matter came about on Jan. 18, 2018, when the district told the commissioner it had received another report from a student alleging Cederholm had communicated with her inappropriately.

Cederholm had previously taught the 13-year-old girl when she was in elementary school. Between October 2016 and January 2017, Cederholm exchanged messages with the student on several social media platforms, the resolution states.

He also sent her inappropriate messages in January 2017.

“In early 2016, Cederholm had been advised by the District to refrain from having inappropriate contact with students,” the resolution states. “On January 24, 2019, Cederholm entered into a consent resolution agreement with the Commissioner in which he agreed that his conduct described… above constitutes professional misconduct.”

Cederholm agreed to his teaching certificate being cancelled, and agreed to never apply for a teaching certificate again.

He will also never be issued a certificate again. The full resolution can be read here.

Although School District 73 Superintendent Alison Sidow would not confirm if Cederholm had ever been employed within the district due to it being a personnel matter, Sidow agreed to speak in general terms about professional misconduct.

Sidow says in these situations, student safety is always top priority.

“We are required by law to report any incidents that are a breach of professional conduct,” Sidow says. “We take those very seriously. When they come across my desk, I react and respond immediately and that does include full investigations, it also includes sanctions and then sometimes, where appropriate, a report to the teacher regulation branch, where their licensing is reviewed.”

Sidow says any time a student is put in harms way by a school employee, the district would reach out to the teacher regulation branch.

“Anything that harms a child either physically… particularly if there’s been any sexual exploitation or abuse, but any significant emotional harm to a student would count as a breach of conduct and can be and should be reported.”

She adds that although these cases are rare, any time there is an allegation of potential wrongdoing, it is thoroughly investigated.

by Ashley Legassic

Former Kamloops teacher banned from teaching

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