A Vancouver high school teacher is in a little bit of trouble after a pair of Grade 12 students showed up at her home for some kind of vodka challenge.
According to the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Jacqueline Sheppet was involved in a few incidents during the 2023 school year, one of which took place at her home.
On June 9, 2023, at around 10 p.m., two students rang Sheppet’s doorbell. Sheppet answered and saw that the students were holding a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses.
The students explained that they were participating in a Grade 12 challenge that involved certain tasks, and one of the tasks was to take a shot of alcohol with a teacher.
At least one of them took a shot of vodka in Sheppet’s presence, and at the same time, Sheppet consumed a shot of a “clear liquid.”
The Commissioner’s decision doesn’t specify what the liquid was.
While the shots were being consumed, the students were on FaceTime with another Grade 12 student.
Sheppet suspected one of the students may have been under the influence when they got to her house, believing they also may have been drinking and driving. The students also weren’t of legal drinking age.
The Commissioner’s decision says that Sheppet asked the driver to breathe on her to determine if he’d been drinking, but didn’t contact the parents or law enforcement.
The following day, Sheppet was attending a graduation event and told the school’s principal that the students were participating in the challenge. The principal said they could discuss it the following Monday.
On Monday, Sheppet shared some general information but didn’t give a full account of what happened.
Earlier that school year, in April, a Grade 11 student told Sheppet that they had to leave class early and that their parents were waiting outside. In response, Sheppet got “visibly irritated,” raising her voice at the student in front of other students.
Sheppet denied them leaving early, and the interaction lasted several minutes, causing the student to cry. The student stayed to write the exam.
On June 14, 2023, another Grade 11 student asked if they could reschedule an exam. Sheppet was given a signed note from a parent to support the request.
Sheppet responded that the student couldn’t miss the final exam without an appropriate explanation. She spoke in a raised voice and “aggressive tone.”
The student went to the office to seek assistance, and Sheppet followed. Sheppet discovered the student crying and speaking with another staff member. Sheppet spoke to the student and staff member in a raised voice and sharp tone.
Later that day, Sheppet spoke with a parent, and after learning about the reason for the absence, allowed the student to write the final exam on a later date.
On Sept. 11, 2023, Sheppet was suspended for five days and is subject to a one-day suspension of her teacher certificate on June 5, 2026. Sheppet is also required to complete a course on professional boundaries.