A B.C. man who started his career in education as a teacher before moving into a vice-principal role was disciplined for extensive unprofessional interactions he had with students on social media and in person.
According to the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Michael David Hendricks has held a teacher certificate since the mid-1990s.
The Commissioner outlined several instances of misconduct that occurred in 2024 and 2025. At the time of the following incidents, Hendricks was one of two vice-principals at an institution in the Abbotsford School District.
According to the consent resolution agreement, Hendricks invited students to contact him on Snapchat, and he frequently messaged with students on Instagram, including sometimes “on students’ personal accounts, on matters unrelated to school, and late at night or on weekends.”
The agreement says that he even continued to message with students after the school principal verbally cautioned him to be careful about social media use with them.
In 2025, the agreement states that Hendricks attended most of the 2025 games played by the school girls’ volleyball team, including sitting with the team on the bench during games. One student on the team, Student A, was frequently messaged by Hendricks.
“You’ll be sick of me come June 30, but you’ll be ready to launch,” he said at the end of a long exchange.
At one point, at 2:28 a.m., he responded to a post that featured a photo of Student A at an amusement park, saying, “Hmm, y’all been up to something here.”
Misconduct involving eight different students (A-H) was mentioned in the agreement.
Student B was wearing a dress with exposed shoulders while on a grad cruise, and according to the consent resolution agreement, Hendricks put his arm around her while posing for a photo, briefly touching her bare skin.
In a separate situation with Student C and other students, Hendricks participated in a conversation involving looking at male college volleyball players’ cards, talking about which was their favourite or who was “fine shyt.”
The B.C. vice-principal participated in the conversation regarding “which of the players was Student C’s ‘fine shyt.'”
Student D, a hockey player and figure skater, was messaged by Hendricks on Instagram. Hendricks also visited some of Student D’s hockey games and sometimes stayed till after the game to give her fist bumps and tell her she did a good job.
Student E ran a nail business from her home, and Hendricks had messaged her on Snapchat about it. At one point, he visited her residence to see the business in action, staying for 10 to 15 minutes.
The agreement notes that he continued to message two other students, Student F and Student G, after they graduated, and had lunch with Student G and another former student. He also met Student F for a meal alone.
Student H was involved in a summer program. The agreement states that Hendricks was engaging with another student, making arrangements to surprise Student H with a birthday cake during class. Student H dropped the class before her birthday.
“At the invitation of another student, Hendricks, another staff member, and other students attended Student H’s residence with some balloons as a surprise for her birthday while her father and younger brother were present. Hendricks stayed at the residence for approximately 10 to 15 minutes,” the agreement notes.
According to remuneration information from the Abbotsford School District, Hendricks was making around $146,000 at the time of these incidents.
In regard to attending sports events, the Commissioner noted that while attending volleyball games in itself wasn’t unprofessional, “such conduct added to a perception of undue favouritism towards team members and to their potential discomfort from his other boundary violations.”
On Feb. 12, 2026, Hendricks signed an undertaking stating he would not teach in any role or position that required a certificate. The B.C. vice principal retired from his employment with the district on May 31, 2026.
Hendricks admitted that the incidents pointed out in the agreement constituted professional misconduct. He agreed to a three-week suspension of his certificate between Oct. 19, 2026 and Nov. 8, 2026. He also agreed to complete courses on professional boundaries. If he does not complete the required courses, his certificate may be suspended.