Teacher suspended for telling student to "erase her life", dressing as pedophile

A North Vancouver elementary school teacher has been handed down a two-month suspension after telling an autistic student to “erase her life” and telling another class he was dressing as a pedophile for Halloween.

Gerard MacIntosh was a teacher and principal at a North Vancouver independent elementary school in 2014 when he allegedly told a student in his grade eight class to “erase her life”.

According to the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, a female student diagnosed on the Autism spectrum asked MacIntosh for an eraser and in response and in front of the class, MacIntosh handed the student the eraser and said “here, use this to erase your life”.

A short time later in the same year, MacIntosh is also accused of taking his grade eight class to visit a grade 11 class and making fun of one of his students by saying “I bet you five dollars that [the student] will say something stupid like ‘how do you get laid in grade nine?'”

Lastly, and most concerning, the teacher also allegedly told a grade seven and eight class that he was “already dressed up as a pedophile” when asked what he was being for Halloween.

The Commissioner was notified of MacIntosh’s behaviour on May 22, 2014 by another school principal, and he was placed on paid leave between May 16 and 21, 2014. He was issued a letter of discipline on May 20 and MacIntosh discontinued his position as principal.

Contrary to instructions, MacIntosh told parents and students that he was placed on leave because of actions taken by the Autistic female student. The school then issued another letter of reprimand on May 22 and he was placed on leave from August to December 2014.

According to the Commissioner’s report, the teacher completed the Branch’s Professional Identity and Boundaries course and resigned from the school at the end of the year.

In accordance with the Teachers Act, MacIntosh has been issued a two-month suspension of his Independent School Teaching Certificate between September 21 and November 21 2015.

A Gerard MacIntosh in Vancouver is listed on LinkedIn as a teacher at the Waldorf School.