Okanagan. B.C. (Rajeev Sharma): A high school teacher in British Columbia has been suspended for five days after admitting to helping students cheat on a provincially mandated literacy assessment, according to the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
Tasha Dawn Whitney agreed to the disciplinary action through a consent resolution published online Tuesday. The misconduct occurred in June 2024 while she was teaching at a high school in the Okanagan.
According to the resolution, Whitney exchanged text messages with a Grade 12 student who expressed a desire to have someone else complete the Literacy Assessment on their behalf — a requirement for graduation. In response, Whitney suggested the names of three students, adding the word “maybe” after listing them. One of those students was later involved in the incident.
On the day of the exam, Whitney served as the invigilator, making her responsible for ensuring that students adhered to testing rules, including using only one device and their personal login credentials. However, the regulator found that she permitted one student to have two laptops and a cellphone throughout the assessment period.
The document further states that Whitney provided the original student with two separate login codes issued by the Ministry of Education — one assigned to that student and another belonging to a different student.
The misconduct came to light when the school principal noticed that a student recorded as having completed the test was absent that day. During subsequent discussions with school administrators and a district investigation, Whitney reportedly denied and minimized her involvement in facilitating the cheating.
Her employment was terminated in September 2024. Three months later, the commissioner initiated a formal investigation, which concluded with last month’s signed consent resolution.
The regulator determined that Whitney’s actions — both assisting in academic dishonesty and providing misleading information during the investigation — violated ethical standards and undermined public trust in the teaching profession.
In addition to the five-day suspension scheduled for June, Whitney has been directed to complete a course on professional boundaries and provide proof of completion to the regulatory body.
