A local teacher caught helping a student cheat has been found guilty of professional misconduct.
The British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation released a discipline outcome Feb. 10 after a decision in the case of Tasha Dawn Whitney.
“By actively assisting students to cheat and by lying throughout the district’s investigation, Whitney failed to act ethically and failed to role model appropriate behaviour to the students,” said Commissioner Donnaree Nygard. “Whitney’s behaviour failed to maintain the credibility of the profession.”
Whitney has been a qualified teacher since 2023 with the Vernon School District.
The district made a report to the Commissioner regarding Whitney on Sept. 17, 2024 stemming from June 2024 when she was employed as a school-based resource teacher.
The background facts state that Whitney was texting with a Grade 12 student to arrange a time for them to complete the Grade 12 Literacy Assessment, which is needed to graduate.
The student said they wanted someone else to write the assessment for them and Whitney replied by listing the names of three other students.
The next day, one of those other named students came to the school to write the assessment, which Whitney was an invigilator (monitor) for and therefore responsible for ensuring each student only had one computer and their unique log-in information with them.
“She was responsible for ensuring that each student completed their own work and did not use any other unapproved device or information during the assessment,” the discipline report reads.
The report says this student completed an assessment for both themselves and the initial student.
“Whitney knew that Student B was writing Student A’s assessment during the assessment period,” it reads. “Whitney knew Student A was not at school on June 13, 2024 and did not write the assessment.”
Following the assessment, the principal reviewed the assessments and found that the first student was not at school that day.
When confronted by the principal and vice principal Whitney “repeatedly lied,” and continued to do so during the district investigation.
The Commissioner ordered an investigation after Whitney was terminated by the district.
Whitney agreed, in Lumby, to a consent resolution agreement of a five-day suspension June 1 to June 5, 2026. She will also need to successfully complete the course Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries by April 7.