A Chilliwack teacher has been reprimanded and must complete a respectful boundaries course as discipline for a series of inappropriate comments made toward elementary school students, according to the professional regulator. Peter William Gentile and the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation signed a consent resolution agreement last month, where he admitted to the conduct and accepted the consequences. The agreement addresses seven incidents that took place while Gentile was teaching a Grade 5 class during the 2024/2025 school year. Some of Gentile’s inappropriate comments related to students’ appearances, such as telling a female student she could “use some exercise,” telling a student that their twin was the better looking one, and teasing a student whose parents wouldn’t let them on camera for a YouTube project by saying he didn’t want them to “break the camera,” according to the document. In addition, “when students in his class were not listening, Gentile asked them whether they wanted to ‘go to the chokey’ a reference from a movie called Matilda where the principal put misbehaving kids in a closet with spikes as a means of discipline,” the agreement reads. Gentile also told two students having a disagreement that they were “bickering like a couple.” In another incident, “when a female student was not listening, Gentile inappropriately patted his lap and said ‘please, come and see me,’” the commissioner says. The teacher also admitted to using a wooden stick to “loudly smack desks” when trying to get students to pay attention. For those incidents, the Chilliwack School District suspended Gentile for three days without pay in February 2025 and required him to take the Creating a Positive Learning Environment course through the Justice Institute of B.C. The commissioner noted that the district had previously “raised concerns” with Gentile, issuing a letter of discipline for “inappropriate and unprofessional” communication with high school students in 2024. The regulatory body’s subsequent investigation into the incidents concluded that “Gentile failed to maintain a positive, safe, and inclusive learning environment for students.” He was given a reprimand under the Teachers Act and must complete the Justice Institute course Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries. If Gentile does not finish the course by a due date set by the regulator, it could suspend his teaching certificate.
