A teacher from the Rocky Mountain School District (SD 6) has lost her teaching certificate because of inappropriate text messages she sent while drunk to a male student.
Daphne Anne Neal was employed in SD 6 when the inappropriate relationship with a male student began. According to the Teacher Regulation Branch, during November and December of 2012 Neal failed to maintain “appropriate professional boundaries” by communicating via text message with a grade 11 student.
Neal sent the student a series of text messages late in the evening, which the Branch deemed as inappropriate in nature. On one occasion, Neal texted the student approximately 50 text messages, in which she said she was attracted to him and that he must keep their communication a secret. In the text messages Neal acknowledged that her conduct was not appropriate and that she could be fired for sending the messages, but continued anyways.
Neal told the Regulation Branch that she was intoxicated when she sent many of the messages, but acknowledged that it did not excuse her conduct. The teacher continued with her text messages and the student became increasingly uncomfortable, and often skipped class as a result.
In January 2013 others became aware of Neal’s conduct and when the District investigated, she denied that the messages were inappropriate and said the student had flirted with her and she had asked him to stop.
Neal was eventually terminated by the District by August 2013 and had her teaching certificate cancelled under the Teachers Act. She is no longer allowed to teach in British Columbia.
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