Teacher cleared, licence to be revoked

Osmond Kaziuk didn’t file appeal, federation says

A Saskatchewan teacher who was cleared of criminal charges in connection to her relationship with a 16-year-old student will have her teaching certificate revoked.

In a written decision published online this month, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation said it recommends Erin Osmond Kaziuk’s teaching certificate be cancelled by the provincial Ministry of Education. The deadline for Osmond Kaziuk to have appealed the decision was July 10. The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation said no appeal was filed.

Osmond Kaziuk was acquitted in May 2015 on two criminal charges of sexual exploitation. The charges came after the Watrous substitute teacher shared a goodbye kiss with a then-16-year-old male student on the last day of class. The relationship became sexual after Osmond Kaziuk was no longer the teen’s teacher. The student eventually told RCMP he’d had sex with his teacher.

The judge in the criminal trial noted there was no proof the goodbye kiss was sexual in nature and that there was no proof Osmond Kaziuk was in a position of trust or authority over the teen when their relationship became sexual.

Since April 2014, when the federation began making its disciplinary decisions public, it has recommended the cancellation of six teaching certificates, including Osmond Kaziuk’s.