A B.C. teacher who taught in the Fraser Valley is facing the consequences for a series of ‘uncomfortable’ exchanges with a high school student over Instagram.
According to the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Kevin Sigaty, a high school teacher, was the source of a complaint in the 2022-2023 school year.
Sigaty was employed as a high school teacher by School District 33, which is located in Chilliwack.
On Jan. 12, 2024, the district made a report to the Commissioner about Sigaty, involving whom the Commissioner’s ruling refers to as Student A.
Student A was in Sigaty’s class during the 2022-2023 school year and graduated from high school in June 2023. The Commissioner’s report states that Sigaty frequently communicated with Student A over Instagram in a friendly manner.
The report states they messaged about movies, books, and political memes.
Two months after Student A graduated, in August 2023, Sigaty told Student A that he had a gift for her. Student A came to the school to get the gift sometime around September 2023. The gifts were two books worth around $50 in total, and the report says the gift made Student A “uncomfortable.”
Later that September, Sigaty messaged Student A again, asking if she wanted to come to his portable in October to watch a Halloween movie.
This again made Student A uncomfortable, and she didn’t accept the invitation from the B.C. high school teacher. This exchange also led to Student A blocking Sigaty on Instagram.
Sigaty then created a new account to send Student A an apology.
In December 2023, Sigaty was suspended for 10 days without pay, and he was directed to complete a course on professional boundaries through the Justice Institute of British Columbia, which he completed in July 2024.
Sigtay offered a medical opinion to suggest that a medical condition contributed to his professional misconduct. The report says he independently sought medical treatment and agreed to manage his condition so it doesn’t interfere with his duties as a teacher.
Sigaty has also agreed to a three-day suspension between Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 of this year.