A teacher at Elkford Secondary was suspended for two days after she lectured students who had cross-dressed in support of a LGBTQ student.
A B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch report released this week said Tami Lynne Chechotko told a group of Grade 11 and 12 students that she was disappointed in them for how they chose to support their peer and the LGBTQ community as a whole.
During the Dec. 16, 2016, confrontation, Chechotko told them their actions were 鈥渄isrespectful and offensive, like painting your face black or wearing a feather headdress.鈥�
The school鈥檚 vice-principal told her the school was okay with the students鈥� dress, but she told the teens the cross-dressing could make students 鈥渜uestion someone鈥檚 sexuality which could potentially result in suicide.鈥�
Some of her students at the time had their next class with her, and four of them decided to go to the library instead.
When Chechotko went looking for them, she found one of the students crying and pacing.
She then became 鈥渓oud and agitated鈥� and again lectured the students about why their cross-dressing was inappropriate.
She was suspended without pay for two days on Jan. 25, 2017.
This is not Chechotko鈥檚 first time being punished. In June 2016, the South Kootenay School District issued her a letter about not making 鈥渦psetting statements鈥� to a vulnerable student about her family.
In September of that same year, she was told to stop providing advice to students that was different from what the school recommended and to not interfere with students鈥� course selection or graduation.
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