Former substitute teacher faces disciplinary hearing over affair with boy in Watrous

A former substitute teacher is set to learn whether she’ll keep her teaching certificate following a Saskatchewan Teacher’s Federation (STF) hearing in Saskatoon.

Erin Osmond, 30, was found not guilty in May 2015 of a sexual exploitation charge stemming from an affair she had with a 16-year-old former student.

While delivering Osmond’s acquittal, a judge said it was fair to call the relationship inappropriate, but not illegal.

The boy was of age to consent, and even though court heard the two had kissed while Osmond was still the boy’s teacher, they didn’t pursue a sexual relationship until just after her contract at the boy’s school ended.

A criminal conviction would have meant the immediate revocation of Osmond’s teaching certificate. Since she was acquitted, the STF arranged a disciplinary hearing at the Radisson Hotel in Saskatoon on Tuesday morning.

It was a brief proceeding and Osmond did not attend.

Dennis Fisher, a lawyer for the STF, presented an agreed statement of facts that Osmond also signed off on. He noted Osmond told him she wanted to spare the boy, now 19, from having to testify.

A panel of teachers from around the province will make a decision on whether or not Osmond committed professional misconduct.

Consequences if she’s found guilty range from a reprimand to the removal of her teaching certificate. That decision is expected to be made public in the next few weeks.