B.C. teacher suspended over movie invitation, gift to recent graduate

FILE: An empty teacher's desk is seen at the front of an empty classroom at McGee Secondary school in Vancouver on Sept. 5, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

A high school teacher from Chilliwack, B.C., has been suspended for professional misconduct after his behaviour made a former student uncomfortable.

Kevin Alexander Sigaty’s misconduct took place in the months after his former student graduated in June 2023, according to a consent agreement he signed with B.C.’s commissioner for teacher regulation.

Between that July and September, Sigaty “communicated frequently” with the former student on Instagram “in the manner of a friend, including about movies, books, and political memes,” the agreement reads.

At one point in September, Sigaty gave the former student two books worth approximately $50 combined as a graduation gift, and he later extended an invitation to “come to his portable in October to watch a Halloween movie.”

Both the gift and the invitation made the former student uncomfortable, according to the decision.

The former student then blocked Sigaty on Instagram, after which the teacher created a new account so he could send the recent graduate an apology.

In December 2023, the Chilliwack School District suspended Sigaty for 10 days without pay over the incidents, and ordered him to complete a course called Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries, which he did the following July.

The consent agreement notes that Sigaty “provided a medical opinion that he had a medical condition that contributed to his misconduct,” and that he “independently sought treatment” following the district’s initial investigation.

“He agrees that he has a responsibility to manage his medical condition to ensure it does not interfere with his duties as a teacher,” the agreement reads.

Commissioner Donnaree Nygard launched her own investigation in March 2024, which concluded at the end of October 2025 with the decision to issue Sigaty a further three-day suspension of his teaching certificate.

The fact that Sigaty “violated professional boundaries on multiple occasions over an approximately three-month period, despite being aware that some of this conduct was not appropriate” was considered as a factor in determining the punishment, according to the consent agreement.

Sigaty’s effort to address his medical condition was considered as a mitigating factor.