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A former Grade 7 teacher at a West Vancouver independent school has been found guilty of professional misconduct after "inappropriate" electronic messages were discovered between him and four female students. 

A three-person panel for B.C.'s teacher regulation branch released its decision Sept. 17 concerning Jeffrey Forden Mooney.

He quit teaching in October 2021 — a few months after the messages came to the attention of a principal — and failed to attend the hearing in June 2024.

The school where Mooney taught was not disclosed in the ruling.

"He counselled the students to keep the messages to themselves while making his own admissions that he knew the communications could get him fired,” the panel said in its written decision.

'Asking about their crushes'

Evidence before the panel showed that Mooney, who was granted a teacher's certificate in 2016, attempted to prompt the female students into sexualized topics  "and the sexual innuendo in some of the messages raises the spectre of grooming."

"Asking about their crushes and the nature of other classmates’ relationships is highly personal and inappropriate," the panel said. "He also used profanity, discussed other staff members with the students and offered to finish homework for student A."

Mooney sent messages to the students via the school's Google Chat Education Platform and Instagram, between June and July 2021. 

The girls were in Grade 7, between 12 and 13 years old.
 
The students were referred to in the ruling by aliases A, B, C, and D. Both students A and B were taught by the teacher during the messages. 
 
Private messages with student A and the teacher included sexual references and innuendos, comments about that student and other students. The teacher also offered to finish a homework assignment for the student. 

'We can drive and drink'

The decision explained that one message he sent was '"Aww ok but for real [Student A] I'll miss you'. He also told the student adults are the best because "we can drive and drink and buy shit and have sex and do alllll the fun stuff and [You didn't hear that from me]."

"The [teacher] ignored his responsibilities to the affected students by communicating with them on personal matters such as their crushes and their sexual experience,” the panel said.

In the online message with student B, the teacher used profanity, made comments about other students and staff, and asked her about her crushes. The teacher spoke about a condominium, which he allegedly lied about being his, and asked the student to keep the messages a secret. 

"He lied to Student B about the condominium in an obvious attempt to impress her,” the panel said.

Messages showed the teacher asking who student B had a crush on to which she responded, "I like myself" and he said "I like you too."

'Did not want to get fired'

Over Instagram messages, the teacher told student C she was "cool" and made comments about other students.

He also used Instagram to communicate with student D. He used profanity, made comments about other students and told her to keep the messages to herself. 

"The [teacher] was clearly aware that his communications with the four students were inappropriate, as he cautioned them not to tell anyone about the messages as he did not want to get fired,” the panel said.

The head of the school was sent screenshots of the messages between the teacher and the students. 

On June 4, 2021, Mooney agreed to an improvement plan which included maintaining professional relationships and boundaries with students at all times. 

According to the decision, he continued messaging the students in June "even after he had agreed to the performance plan, wherein he had committed to respecting boundaries."

The panel ruled the teacher used his position of trust in an attempt to form a personal relationship with the students beyond that of educator and student.

"By doing so and by using digital communication inappropriately, he failed in his duty to provide an appropriate role model for the students,” the panel said.

'Impose a penalty'

According to the decision, Mooney did not appear at the hearing on June 11, 2024 and a tracer was used to try and find his whereabouts but were unsuccessful. 

"This panel is empowered to impose a penalty on the respondent," the panel said. "The panel asks Counsel for the Commissioner to provide written submissions with respect to penalty pursuant to a schedule to be set by the hearing coordinator of the Teachers Regulation Branch."

The panel ruled that Mooney used digital communication inappropriately, failed in his duty to be a role model, that his conduct was a marked departure from what is expected of teachers. He was found guilty of professional misconduct. 

The panel was comprised of chair Karen F. Nordlinger and members Jatinder Kaur Bir and Cathleen Anne Tenning.