The Discipline Committee ordered that the teaching certificate of Rusty William Goertzen be suspended for failing to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with a student and for failing to comply with his duty to report under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017. His misconduct included engaging in a personal relationship with the student by communicating with the student regarding personal matters through Facebook Messenger and failing to report a message sent to him by the student in which the student referred to rape.
During the time in question, Goertzen was employed as a teacher with the Greater Essex County District School Board.
Goertzen, who was certified to teach in June 1999, attended the hearing on December 19, 2025, and had legal representation.
Goertzen’s misconduct included sending Facebook messages of a personal nature to the student and asking her whether she deletes their chat history. In one message, when Goertzen asked the student whether she was in the same house as someone, she replied: “Of course not in the same house I’m stupid to get raped. As I’m done with that.” Despite this disclosure, Goertzen did not report the message to the school board, the Children’s Aid Society, or the student’s parents.
The Discipline Committee panel found Goertzen guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be suspended for two months. He was also directed to receive a reprimand. In addition, the panel ordered him to complete coursework on professional boundaries and professional ethics with an emphasis on reporting obligations.
In their written decision, the panel stated, “Members are expected to always maintain professional boundaries with students, which includes appropriate communication with students inside and outside of school hours.”
