Former Ontario teacher guilty of misconduct in connection with allegations of student abuse

Former Ontario teacher Ryan Imgrund has been found guilty of professional misconduct and will no longer be allowed to teach at public schools in the province after allegations of sexual and emotional abuse of students were brought forward.

The decision was made at a disciplinary hearing on Monday.

“The member’s certificate was revoked as a result of a decision by a panel of the Discipline Committee or the Fitness to Practice Committee of the College,” a note on the Ontario College of Teacher’s (OCT) website says.

“The person is no longer a member of the College.”

Imgrund, who often provided commentary throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as a self-described “biostatician,” was facing professional misconduct allegations related to“sexually,” “emotionally” and “psychologically” abusing students.

No criminal charges have been filed against Imgrund.

The first allegations were made public in a notice of hearing filed by the OCT in August 2022. The allegations state that Imgrund messaged four female students, who he was coaching as part of a school team, late at night and in the early morning during an out of town trip inviting them to join him at a resort pool.

When the students didn’t respond, the college alleges Imgrund “banged on his ceiling/their floor” and continued to call them.

The college also accused him of using a “technique requiring the students to push their buttocks up against him” during a practice.

It is also alleged that he engaged in inappropriate personal and electronic relationships with students and one additional students. Among the allegations, he is accused of sending a shirtless photograph to one female student while requesting that she send him a photograph of herself in a bathing suit.

When one student stopped replying, the college alleges Imgrund “yelled at” or “scolded her.”

In December 2022, a second professional misconduct hearing notice was filed by the OCT, this time in relation to allegations made by an 18-year-old woman.

The allegations state that in 2005, Imgrund sent the woman four unsolicited naked photographs of himself using MSN messenger. The woman was family friends with Imgrund, the college said.

Imgrund resigned from the college on June 8, 2022. Before that, he was employed as a teacher by the York Catholic District School Board.

Imgrund did not respond to a request from CTV News Toronto, however he posted on social media saying the OCT “threatens to impose charges of $10,000 per day on teachers who want to publicly address allegations against them, even when these allegations lack credible evidence.”

“The unfortunate reality is pleading no contest is a less daunting course of action than participating in a costly hearing which will be biased and prejudiced,” he wrote.