B.C. vice-principal fired after forcing boys to prove they were wearing underwear

The vice-principal at a francophone school in Comox was fired after she made every boy in grades 3 through 11 show her their underwear to prove they hadn't left a pair of soiled briefs in the bathroom.

Delphine Yvette Andrée Guérineau lost her job at École Au-cœur-de-l'île last year as a result of the incident, and she has now received a reprimand from the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, according to a consent agreement posted online Tuesday.

"Guérineau's actions had the potential to cause emotional harm to students," the agreement said, adding that she has acknowledged her actions were inappropriate.

The unfortunate series of events began on June 19, 2018, when a soiled pair of underwear was found on a toilet lid in the boys' bathroom, the agreement says. There were feces on the floor nearby.

The school's principal wasn't available, so Guérineau stepped in to deal with things and track down the culprit.

She asked the secretary to make an announcement over the PA system, then visited every classroom from grades 3 to 6, asking each boy to show her the waistband of his underpants.

Guérineau then asked male students in grades 7 to 11 to line up in the hallway, and repeated the exercise.

The school district placed her on paid leave two days later, then fired her on Oct. 1, 2018, with a termination date effective Sept. 17, 2018.

The district reported Guérineau to the Teacher Regulation Branch in December, and Guérineau admitted that she had committed professional misconduct. She has consented to a reprimand with the understanding that it would be made public.

Guérineau has been registered as a teacher in B.C. for four years.