A Vancouver ex-band instructor has been permanently barred from teaching following his admission of guilt to sexually assaulting a student. Robert Kyle Ledingham is prohibited from seeking a teaching license in British Columbia after confessing to one count of sexual assault in May 2024, as per an agreement from the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation. Ledingham, a certified teacher since May 2008, faced initial accusations of two counts of sexual exploitation and one count of sexual assault in September 2020.
The accusations revolved around a student who volunteered at a high school within the Vancouver School District where Ledingham taught high school band from April to June 2019. The student’s identity remains protected by a court-ordered publication ban, and they attended a different high school from Ledingham’s workplace.
In his guilty plea in May 2024, the band teacher admitted to one count of sexual assault, leading to the dismissal of the other charges as per the agreement terms. He received a 15-month conditional sentence, with a condition not to seek employment in roles involving authority over individuals under 18. The Vancouver School District terminated Ledingham’s employment in November 2024.
Acknowledging his actions as professional misconduct, the former band teacher agreed in the consent agreement that he is permanently ineligible to apply for a teaching certificate.