“Ex-Band Instructor Banned for Student Assault”

A Vancouver ex-band instructor has been permanently barred from teaching after admitting to sexually assaulting a student. Robert Kyle Ledingham will be forbidden from seeking a teaching license in British Columbia following his guilty plea to a sexual assault charge in May 2024, as stated in a consent agreement from the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation. Initially facing two counts of sexual exploitation and one count of sexual assault in September 2020, Ledingham, a certified teacher since May 2008, was implicated in incidents involving a student who volunteered at a high school in the Vancouver School District where he taught high school band between April and June 2019. The student’s identity is protected by a publication ban, attending a separate high school from Ledingham’s teaching establishment. In his plea, Ledingham admitted to one count of sexual assault with the other charges being dismissed. He received a 15-month conditional sentence, with a stipulation that he must not work in any capacity involving supervision of minors. The Vancouver School District terminated his employment in November 2024. By acknowledging his actions as professional misconduct, the former band instructor agreed to a lifelong prohibition from obtaining a teaching certificate.