Greater Victoria teacher permanently banned from teaching after child porn conviction
Correction: A previous photo credit for this story mentioned Gregory Garost, a middle school teacher who was suspended for inappropriate conduct in 2019. Garost’s suspension is not related to this case and was mentioned in error.
An elementary school teacher in the Greater Victoria School District (SD61) had his teaching certificate permanently banned after being convicted of possessing child pornography.
Travis Curry Mitchell first received a teaching certificate in 2018.
In June 2020, SD61 filed a report about Mitchell to the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, and by July of that year he had signed an undertaking not to take on any teaching role in the province.
The commissioner says police first began investigating Mitchell in June 2020, after police received a report that he had inappropriately communicated with a minor outside of his teaching profession, but while Mitchell was in a "position of trust" with the child.
He was arrested on June 9, at which point police searched his phone and computer and found child pornography on the devices, according to a consent resolution agreement between the commissioner and Mitchell.
In April 2021, Mitchell pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to an 18-month conditional sentence followed by 12 months of probation on Oct. 13, 2021.
The conditions of his probation include a ban on communicating with anyone under the age of 16, and a 10-year inclusion on the National Sex Offender Registry.
Since the incident occurred while Mitchell was working as an elementary school teacher in the Greater Victoria School District, the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decided to place a lifetime ban on reissuing him a teaching certificate.
The commissioner laid out the penalty in a consent resolution agreement that was made public Tuesday, which Mitchell agreed to.
"Mitchell agrees not to make any statement orally or in writing which contradicts, disputes or calls into question the terms of this agreement or the admissions made in it," reads the agreement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.