A Metro Vancouver elementary school teacher got suspended and was reprimanded after being caught vaping in a school bathroom.
According to the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Stephanie Kastoris taught Kindergarten and Grade 1 in School District 43, which is in Coquitlam.
The report from the commissioner says that in September 2024, when she was teaching class, she would use the washroom attached to her classroom to vape.
“After she did so, there was a lingering scent in the air in both the bathroom and the classroom, which her students noticed,” the Consent Resolution Agreement said.
The document says that while she never vaped in front of her students, there was a time when students were lined up outside the washroom door while she was vaping. It also says that she had vaped in the staff washrooms.
In November 2024, the district issued a letter of discipline to Kastoris, suspending her for three days without pay. She served the suspension between Nov. 6 and Nov. 8, 2024.
Kastoris agreed that the facts laid out in the Consent Resolution Agreement were true and accepted a reprimand and agreed that it amounted to professional misconduct.
The agreement went on to say, “She also agreed to a reprimand under sections 54 and 64(a) of the Teachers Act, which will take effect on the first business day following the Effective Date.”
The commissioner said that Kastoris was cooperative in the investigation. It added that she did not role model appropriate behaviour and determined that a reprimand was a sufficient consequence for her behaviour.
“Kastoris acknowledges that she has voluntarily entered into this Agreement with the
benefit of independent legal advice, and that she fully understands the terms and conditions
set out in this Agreement.”
You can read the Consent Resolution Agreement in full on the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation website.