Twenty Surrey teachers lost work after criminal record update emails landed in spam; 15 have returned, five remain suspended.
Surrey Teachers Pulled from Class Over Missed Emails
Twenty Surrey teachers were suddenly told not to report to work Wednesday after their teaching licences were suspended. The culprit? Important emails about criminal record check updates that never made it to their inboxes.
Amrit Sanghe, president of the Surrey Teachers’ Association, described the situation as “significant,” noting it’s the equivalent of removing a small or medium elementary school’s entire staff.
Emails Ended Up in Spam, Teachers Say
The issue traces back to B.C.’s Criminal Record Review Act, which requires teachers to undergo a criminal record check every five years. While the Ministry of Education and Child Care can submit checks on a teacher’s behalf, additional information—like fingerprints—is often needed.
Unfortunately, these crucial emails ended up in teachers’ spam folders.
“The frustrating part is that it seemed like the ministry knew these emails might be routed to spam,” Sanghe said. She added that discussions had taken place between the ministry and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation before the suspensions occurred.
Strict Deadlines Leave No Room for Error
Once a request for extra information is sent, teachers have 90 days to respond. Failing to do so automatically triggers licence suspension. Sanghe said the ministry could have avoided the crisis by sending letters or coordinating with local districts.
Currently, 160 teaching certificates are suspended across B.C. for similar issues. The Ministry stated it attempts multiple contacts via email or mail before suspending any certificate. However, it acknowledged that email service algorithms are out of its control.
Teachers Return, But Pay Remains an Issue
As of Thursday, 15 of the 20 Surrey teachers have returned to the classroom. The remaining five are still waiting for updates.
Sanghe stressed that the teachers lost pay for the day and said, “They should have been putting some plans in place to ensure that teachers remained where they belong, which is in front of their students.”
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