A North Vancouver teacher has been suspended for two months after a series of investigations found a series of incidents that ranged from “unbecoming” to professional misconduct.
The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation posted a summary of its investigations and discipline for Tariq Mahmood Malik, a teacher librarian working at an elementary school in the North Vancouver School District.
According to the document, Malik, who has been licensed as a teacher in B.C. since 2020, created several social media accounts under the name Viet Paki in which he shared “sexually suggestive and explicit content, images of scantily dressed women and derogatory and stereotypical presentation of women” with commentary about the types of women to date in Vancouver and Vietnam, the consent resolution agreement states.
Malik told his students about the accounts, some of whom followed him there. He exchanged messages with at least four of them and on one occasion, he used a library computer to show a group of Grade 6 and 7 girls videos that were not appropriate for elementary-aged students because of sexually suggestive content and inappropriate language.
Also during the 2023-2024 school year, there were complaints regarding other incidents, including touching a female students on the shoulders and back of their necks, hugging at least three female students, poking girls in their stomachs and standing uncomfortably close to female students during the morning announcements, which Malik defended as being necessary to share a copy of the script with them.
Malik brought to school and allowed students to see the key chain for his Kawasaki motorcycle, which had the word “Kawasexy” written on it.
“At times, when a student saw the key chain, it created a commotion amongst the students,” the decision read.
And after he asked a student about a Sabrina Carpenter song she was singing, he looked up an image of Carpenter wearing a bikini and remarked that she was “cute.”
He also filmed videos of his students for his YouTube channel without getting the informed consent of their parents, the investigation found.
The North Vancouver School District handed Malik a 30-day suspension in December and the district ordered him to complete a course in respectful professional boundaries as well has attend two sessions with an occupational psychologist to discuss appropriate interactions with students.
After an investigation by the Teacher Regulation Branch, Malik received another suspension of his licence from Jan. 27 to Feb. 21.
“Malik identified himself as a teacher in his Instagram account and social media accounts, which used the same account name, contained content that undermined the integrity and reputation of the teaching profession,” the agreement states. “Malik did not act in the best interests of his students. He used his students for his advantage in building and promoting his social media accounts. Malik failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries by interacting with students as if he were a peer rather than an adult and a professional.”
[email protected]
twitter.com/brentrichter
brentrichter.bsky.social
Want to stay updated on North Vancouver and West Vancouver news? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
