A Langley woman convicted of sexual interference with one of her former elementary school students has lost the right to ever teach in B.C.
The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation has ruled that Deborah Ralph can’t teach in public or independent schools, and is banned from even applying for a teaching certificate.
Ralph pleaded guilty in February and in March was given a conditional sentence of two years less a day.
The actual incidents happened between 1998 and 2000, but the victim didn’t come forward until 2011. When the Langley RCMP arrested Ralph, she was immediately removed from her elementary school classroom.
In 2012, Ralph was fired by the Langley School District, and her teaching certificate was suspended from three weeks after her arrest.
Ralph’s teaching certificate was completely cancelled in May this year.
The victim was a former Grade 5 student of Ralph’s. After he left her class, she continued to have contact with the boy and his family, getting him a summer job, buying him gifts, and taking him to laser tag and other fun activities.
She started a sexual relationship with the victim in 1998 and it continued on and off to 2000, when the victim cut off all contact with Ralph.
He didn’t tell his family about the abuse until 2005, and spent much of his teen years and early adulthood battling suicidal feelings, and alcohol and drug abuse.
The victim’s family described Ralph as a predator during victim impact statements before the sentencing.