B.C. band teacher banned for life over years of misconduct

David Joseph Lamb has been disciplined repeatedly during his teaching career in Vancouver, which began in 2004

A Vancouver band instructor has lost his right to ever teach again over a history of inappropriate behaviour and failure to maintain professional boundaries with students. Lamb, who began teaching music at David Thompson Secondary School in 2004, was disciplined repeatedly during his career for his dealings with students, including trying to “build an improper personal relationship” with a female student that included excessive compliments, gift-giving, chats about personal matters and “emotionally manipulating her for his personal goals.” As Lamb did not participate in the hearing, the decision was reached based on his lengthy disciplinary history, its negative effect on students, and the teacher’s lack of insight into or remorse for his conduct.

The disciplinary panel noted the following: • In June 2006, he was warned about “the need to treat students respectfully and to demonstrate professional teacher-student relationships.” • In October 2009, he got another “letter of expectation” about “the need to maintain professional teacher-student boundaries and treat students in a respectful way.”

• In May 2011, he got a letter of discipline about “violating the professional boundaries of a teacher towards students.” • In February 2012, he was warned not to have students in his office at any time, not to drive students to school or personal events, not to eat meals with students on or off school property, not to talk or text with students by cellphone, and not to conduct music practices in the evening without telling administrators. Those led to a 2014 consent resolution agreement in which Lamb admitted to a “wide range of professional boundary violations, including involving himself in students’ personal lives.”

He received a reprimand and was ordered to complete a course on professional boundaries. “These remedial steps did not, however, improve (Lamb’s) conduct. He was next disciplined in October 2018 when the district gave him a disciplinary letter and suspended him without pay for one day.”

The improper misconduct continued even after the regulation branch opened an investigation in 2019, and his behaviour “negatively impacted students in significant ways.” One testified that “she felt anxious, unhappy and manipulated” by Lamb. Evidence heard by the panel indicated that other students felt the same.

The principal and a counsellor heard from several students who felt “overwhelmed and pressured” or were “struggling emotionally” and felt uncomfortable in his class, and at least two parents asked to withdraw their children from Lamb’s band classes. Some students said they were reluctant to say anything because “they feared reprisal.” In October 2018, Lamb was made aware that his behaviour was having negative impacts on students and that some felt bullied by him and “trapped” in the band room.

Despite all the students’ concerns, Lamb “consistently blamed the students for his inappropriate behaviour” and called their allegations “lies or misperceptions.” Despite not teaching in recent years, Lamb kept paying his licence fees through 2025, so the panel was concerned about the potential risk of further harm to students. Lamb’s conduct “in attempting to form relationships with young female students outside of the professional realm breached that trust and must be seen, at the very least, as exploitative and serious,” the panel wrote, and the penalty he receives must “act as a general deterrence to other teachers.”

“A serious penalty in this case demonstrates to teachers and to the public that a teacher’s refusal to remediate their conduct despite repeated interventions will result in a loss of the privilege to hold a certificate,” the panel said.