Skip to content

Teacher to be reinstated

School District 63 hopes to reinstate a teacher suspended before the Christmas break

School District 63 hopes to reinstate a teacher suspended before the Christmas break after showing his Grade 4 class at Brentwood Elementary School a sexually-suggestive video.

The teacher, Joe Winkler, was put on paid leave by the Saanich school district after superintendent Dr. Keven Elder deemed the content of the video inappropriate in regard to its content, curriculum expectations and whether it was age-appropriate.

This week, Elder said a review of the case is ongoing and much of its outcome is a personnel matter and will not be made public.

That said, he added the goal all along was to reinstate Winkler. To do that, Elder said the district is meeting with the teacher, parents and students to work towards a positive return to class.

The video in question showed men dressed as women and another man in a Speedo-style bathing suit, lip-synching to music on a beach. It’s a four-minute clip and Elder said the teacher has stated it was shown to introduce the students to transgender issues.

The class is being taught by a replacement teacher during the review.