Make a Teacher Complaint to the Commissioner for Teacher Regulation

Parents, students, staff or other members of the public

To teach in a public or independent school in B.C., a teacher must have a B.C. teaching certificate. You can check the public online registry to find out what type of certificate a certified teacher has. Certified teachers include teachers, vice-principals, principals, directors, and superintendents who hold a Ministry of Education and Child Care teaching certificate.

Certified teachers must meet the standards for educators. These standards outline what teachers need to know and how they must act as they serve the public.

Try to resolve the issue at the school

Before you submit a complaint to the Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, try to resolve the issue at the school level.

• Talk about your concerns with the teacher
• If you are not able to resolve the issue with the teacher, involve the teacher's supervisor
• If necessary, contact the superintendent’s office or the independent school authority

Boards of education and independent school authorities have their own policy and process for addressing complaints. Request a copy of the board or authority's policy. Follow its complaint process before contacting the Commissioner. Parents can also ask a representative from the local parent advisory council to help them through the school process.

If you cannot resolve the issue at the school, consider the Commissioner's role

If your concern about the conduct or competence of a teacher is not adequately addressed at the school level, contact us or submit a complaint to the Commissioner for Teacher Regulation. Before you submit a complaint:

• Confirm on the public online registry that the teacher holds a B.C. teaching certificate or letter of permission to teach
• Examine the standards for educators to confirm that the conduct or competence of the teacher conflicts with the standards. If it does not conflict, the matter will not be under the Commissioner’s jurisdiction
• Read about what the Commissioner can and cannot do after a complaint is received
• Review the process about how to make a complaint

Read the possible outcomes

The Commissioner can: 

• Close a matter by not taking further action
• Investigate for more information
• Offer a consent resolution agreement
• Order a hearing and appoint a hearing panel if the teacher declines the offer for a consent resolution agreement   

A teacher who has breached the standards may: 

• Be reprimanded
• Have limits or conditions placed on their teaching certificate
• Have their teaching certificate suspended or cancelled

Note that the Commissioner does not decide if a person is guilty. The Commissioner can’t:

• Ask a teacher to apologize
• Ask the teacher to pay money to someone who submits a complaint 
• Enter a mediation process
• Assign specific Ministry designations
• Develop or enforce district or school policies and/or procedures
• Address concerns or issues related to district or school hiring practices
• Review or investigate the actions of a district
• Review or investigate the conduct or competence of an educational assistant or special educational assistant
• Allocate resources or specialized supports
• Direct teaching methods or instructional delivery
• Organize course offerings or timetables
• Decide the classes that students should be placed in or the subjects that students should take 
• Direct a teacher to avoid contact with specific students
• Remove a teacher from a classroom 
• End a teacher’s employment with a district or school 

Make a complaint to the Commissioner

To submit a complaint to the Commissioner, you must:

• Complete the complaint form
• Include the teacher’s first name and last name
• Include a summary of the issues about the conduct or competence of the teacher
• Describe the steps you took to resolve your concerns at the school
• Include materials that relate to your complaint. Examples of materials are correspondence, emails, timelines, names of witnesses, medical records, photos, or videos  
• Sign and date the form
• Submit the form by email or fax

After you submit the complaint form and your materials, we will acknowledge that we have received them. The Commissioner can then review the information and decide how to proceed in the discipline process.

Contact Us

Do you want more information about the complaint process? Do you have questions about making a complaint? Contact us from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday

Contact Information

Office: 604 775-4870 (Vancouver)

Fax: 604 775-4858

Email: trb.intake@gov.bc.ca

Submit a Complaint

• Complete the Complaint Form (PDF)

Next steps

Find out what happens after a complaint is made – see how the discipline process works.