Donnelly Teacher Found Guilty

[karrie]

A high school teacher from northern Alberta has been found guilty of violating professional standards by engaging in a sexual relationship with a student who later killed himself.
Lori-Lee Simard, 39, was facing six counts of misconduct under the Teachers Profession Act as a result of the relationship, which took place during the 2005-2006 school year at a high school in Donnelly, Alta, about 425 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

Vivian Aubin, Riley's mother, expresses her relief Monday at the decision of the ATA disciplinary panel.
(CBC) ​

At a disciplinary hearing Monday in Edmonton, the Alberta Teachers Association ruled that she was guilty of having a romantic and sexual relationship with 18-year old Riley Aubin, asking the student to lie about it, and demeaning the honour and dignity of the teaching profession.
Aubin, who was in Grade 12, shot himself April 9, 2006. His parents and family members told the hearing last week that they blamed the relationship, in part, for the teen's suicide.
Simard maintained that while she was close to the boy, she was never intimate with him.
The panel has cancelled Simard's membership in the ATA and has recommended the government strip her of her teaching licence.
Outside the hearing Vivian Aubin, Riley's mother, expressed her relief at the decision.
"It was actually, very, very hard," Aubin told reporters. "It all brought back a lot of hurtful memories."
She said the only reason she came forward was to warn other parents.
"I'm very regretful that I wasn't able to help my son, and because I trusted a teacher … and didn't even realize that could cross her mind. And for that I lost my son."
Simard's lawyer said his client hasn't yet decided whether to appeal the ruling.

 

[karrie]

My husband has been following this story with great interest, as he knows the community, the school, and the people involved.

 

[Outta here]

I had somehow thought the boy was quite a bit younger. It doesn't make it any better that a teacher violated the student/teacher relationship, but somehow it doesn't seem quite as foul to me knowing it was a young man rather than a young boy.

This also makes me curious as to whether or not he had some pre-existing mental health concerns. The article does say the parents blame the teacher "in part". Must have been a bit more to it.

Still sad as hell though. Poor families - both will never be the same.

 

[karrie]

I've seen research in the past that suggested that males between 16 and 25 are at an extremely high risk of suicide during breakups or the ending of a relationship... essentially what it suggested is that being that age, male, and in love is a mental illness in and of itself, and that parents needed to be highly aware of the risks when a relationship ended for their sons. (daughters too of course, just the rates aren't as high)

I'm gonna go snoop and see if I can turn up a similar article.

 

[Outta here]

being that age, male, and in love is a mental illness in and of itself,

I have one of these creatures - I can verify the research. :-?

 

[karrie]

It's how we lost my cousin. We'll never know if it was intentional or not, but his girlfriend cheated on him, dumped him, and he snapped and lost it. He ended up driving into the back of a semi truck at some insane speed.

 

[Outta here]

8O

My gawd. Given how enmeshed teenages become in their love lives - that scares the cr*p outta me.

 

[karrie]

I know, sorry. It is scary. What do you do?

From what I understand, in this boy's case, the affair was found out, and he was found dead that same day. The family didn't even have time to deal with the fall out of the affair before he was already gone. A rash impulse, and gone.

 

[Sal]

Holy hell.

It would appear to me that the teacher was the straw that broke the proverbial back. Which actually illuminates for me, why an adult should not be having sex with one so young. Who knows what their head space is? Certainly not someone with her type of judgement.

 

[karrie]

I think it was that he knew she'd 'leave' him as soon as the affair was found out. I wouldn't say the teacher was the straw, so much as the breakup. Which is so common, regardless of age differences.

 

[Praxius]

Why are all these teachers involved in these situation so butt-arse ugly?

Ok, humor aside, you also have to considder the student's position in the high school society. How popular were they? What effect would this have on their school life once it became known? What did the teacher tell/promise them in order for the relationship to materialize in the first place?

Also, what were his parents like? How much did they listen to him? How would they have delt with knowing about this situation which to him would have been deemed personal and his business only (Not accurate, but most teenagers think that way)

Why do male teenagers tend to breakup much worse then girls? a few things crossed the mind:

• Testosterone effects during puberty, as they say the male's sexual peak is around the age of 18 or so? A quick jump in development in a short time, compared to females, plus the effects of testosterone could have effects on rationale.

• The ever continual battle of Status in the high school world. Many just can not see beyond the school walls and that there is a life outside of it. Most don't realize that what you have done in high school has hardly anything to do with what you will do in your real life on your own. Some are told that their best years are when they are in school.... that was a load of crap for me as I wouldn't trade my life today to spend one minute back in high school, it was hell, I was suicidal as well on a few occasions and different reasons..... but I kept it in the back of my head to at least stick it out until I graduated and see if it is better or worse. Some just can not continue that long.... esspecially in a situation such as this.

And when it just comes to a typical relationship with another student in school, then one has to think about what the girl or significant other said to the guy having these issues. Did they let them down nicely or did they insult the living hell out of them and told them they'd be better off dead and they'll tell all the other girls how crappy a boyfriend you are, forever screwing your chances up with anyone else so long as you stay in that school? (perhaps to make them feel better about the breakup and somehow put all the blame on him)

I can imagine that if it was myself in that situation, that I took all my known crap I had to deal with in high school and then throw in some secret relationship with a teacher in my school which just been found out.... it wouldn't take two seconds to figure out what that would mean for me in school, the media, my family, etc.... it easily could have been the tipping point.

Then again, I also wasn't foolish enough (Nor did I have the self esteme for it) to attempt some teacher relationship.

..... although there were those Univeristy students from St. FX who came in for a year of on the job training.... mmmmm.... they were nice.

 

[karrie]

Why are all these teachers involved in these situation so butt-arse ugly?

Have you seen a pic of her? Hubby was wondering... he can't quite remember which one was her (he was leaving just as she was starting).

 

[Praxius]

Have you seen a pic of her? Hubby was wondering... he can't quite remember which one was her (he was leaving just as she was starting).

Opps, my mistake, I didn't read the little sub text on the pic above. I figured that was the teacher. Dude... I just caled the dead kids mom Butt-Arse Ugly.... I should feel bad now.

Meh.

Oh here we go:

My original statement still stands.

Teacher slammed for bad conduct
http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1044254.html

EDMONTON — An Alberta high school teacher was found guilty Monday of unprofessional conduct for having a sexual and romantic relationship with a student who killed himself when their affair ended.

Lori-Lee Simard, 39, was found guilty on five out of six charges under the Teaching Profession Act.

The hearing was told that Simard, who taught drama and French at Georges P. Vanier High School in Donnelly, Alta., was involved with Riley Aubin, 18, between September 2005 and April 2006.

Aubin died on April 9, 2006, of a gunshot wound to the head after he allegedly sent an affectionate text message to Simard that her husband ended up reading.
His mother, , said she is happy with Monday’s decision.

"I’m very regretful that I wasn’t able to help my son because I trusted a teacher and a family friend," she said.

"This in no way, this proceeding, ever helped us. It actually made it way harder for us, but it was a way to protect other children."

An Alberta Teachers’ Association panel has stripped Simard of her membership to the association and will recommend that the province revoke her teaching certificate.

"I don’t know that there’s much more that we can do," Robert Bisson of the teachers’ association told CTV Edmonton. "Other than to . . . make it known to teachers and to the public that this kind of behaviour will not be condoned."

Simard, who was not at Monday’s hearing, had admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with Aubin but insisted it was not sexual.

Her lawyer, Brad Minuk, pointed out to the hearing that none of the witnesses had any first-hand knowledge of the alleged relationship.

He had also argued earlier that Aubin graduated in January 2006, meaning he was no longer her student at that point and was of legal age of consent.

"I deeply regret what has happened," Simard told reporters last week, her husband standing by her side. "My heart goes out to the Aubin family."

Simard was acquitted on a charge of having a student stay overnight without parental permission.

Simard said last week that she had spoken to the teen’s father before Aubin and another teen spent a night at her home.

The student involved:

Riley Aubin killed himself after a text message sent to his teacher was read by her husband.

^ Ooooooo..... that would do it.

 

[karrie]

This makes me wonder. I've recently seen an acquaintance's marriage break up over the same thing (his wife, a TA, slept with a bunch of students). I've seen marriages result from it. I've seen women pursue boys, and I've been fawned over by male teachers, to the extent of them bullying my boyfriend. It's clearly not an oddity. It's clearly a common human event.

So, when it starts happening, is there a logical, rational system in place for a teacher to seek assistance with it? Are there coping strategies and support systems in place beyond a few rules written in a book, and an attitude of 'don't, you're an adult'?

 

[Praxius]

I know my father and the rest of the teachers are given what was at the time, a "Blue Book" which was probably the NSTU's rules and guidelines of what teachers can and can not do in certain situations. I've never read it or looked into it, because it was none of my business of course. But it would be a situation that they would cover as it isn't anything new.

But people do silly things in the name of passion and/or love. why do married couples cheat on each other? This from my observation and gernerally speaking of course, would probably have something to do with one or more of the following:

• no longer having feelings for husband/wife. No longer feeling satisfied or getting enough attention from spouse. Deciding to use an easy and less suspected alternative in a student which would give more attention.

• Middle Age/Menopause part of life, where one feels that they are getting over the hill and no longer young. The attention from teenagers and esspecially the access to sexual encounters with a younger person would in turn make them feel that they are still sexually attractive and an extreme boost in self esteme when you can attract someone as such a young age.

• The simple idea of adventure, taking risks. Certain people have certain sexual fantasies, and some will even go as far as to get a jon in relation to a sexual fantasy. One if very good in their tactics could continue these sort of adventures for years in their career without being noticed.

there's a few more I could think of, but my rides here... gtg.