EDMONTON - A teacher alleged to have been romantically and sexually involved with an 18-year-old Grade 12 student who later killed himself is facing charges in an internal Alberta Teachers’ Association disciplinary hearing. Lori-Lee Simard, who taught drama and French at Georges P. Vanier High School in Donnelly pleaded guilty Tuesday to one charge under the Teaching Profession Act – that she “engaged in an inappropriate teacher-student relationship” with student Riley Aubin between September 2005 and April 2006. Simard, who was suspended from her job in July 2006, was not at the hearing because of a prior commitment, her lawyer Brad Minuk said. Minuk pleaded not guilty on Simard’s behalf to five other charges under the same legislation: - That during the fall of 2005, she had a student stay overnight at her home without parental permission; - That she engaged in an inappropriate romantic relationship with Aubin; - That she engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with Aubin; - That during the first 10 days of April 2006 she directed a student to lie about his involvement with her, and; - That she failed to act in a manner that maintains the honour and dignity of the teaching profession. Aubin, from Whitemud Creek south of Donnelly, died at home on April 9, 2006, of a gunshot to the head. The death was ruled non-criminal. Aubin was a good student, and was being considered as the valedictorian for his graduating class, the hearing was told. Simard’s teaching record was unblemished. Within weeks of Aubin’s death, allegations surfaced that the two had been in a relationship. It was known that Aubin was a frequent visitor to Simard’s classes in the school. The superintendent of High Prairie School Division (Ken Riegel) launched an investigation and later suspended Simard with pay. Two days later, Simard resigned from her position. She then moved to another Alberta community. Prosecuting officer Konni DeGoeij said she plans to call 19 witnesses, including family members, community members, school board officials and a technical analyst who examined e-mail records. In her opening remarks, DeGoeij said the hearing will be told that the teacher once stuck her tongue in Aubin’s ear in public, and on New Year’s Eve was seen kissing him in a car. She said the three-member professional conduct committee will learn the pair was in Edmonton together in March 2006, and that Aubin later talked of having had “great sex.” DeGoeij also said the committee will be told about a naked picture of Aubin that was reportedly on Simard’s school computer. Ken Riegel testified he first learned about a possible inappropriate link between Simard and Aubin in an April 21, 2006, e-mail from an anonymous sender. Riegel said he met later in April with Simard, who told him her relationship with Aubin was not unusual. She said they exchanged phone calls and e-mails but only about school work, he said. Riegel said Simard told him that her husband had found a text message on a new cellphone she had left at home. Simard’s husband didn’t know who had sent the message, so he called the phone number it came from, Riegel said Simard told him. The teacher told her superintendent that Aubin answered and apologized for the message, explaining it had been sent in error. The committee heard later Tuesday that the message – sent just before 5 p.m. on April 8 – started with “Miss you sexy like you wouldn’t believe.” Riegel learned more about the possible involvement between Simard and Aubin from the teen’s mother, Vivian, and from another student at Vanier, who told him that Aubin and Simard were seen sending text messages to each other in school. Vivian Aubin gave the superintendent some notes she found in her son’s bedroom, and a 21-page letter she wrote. Riegel met with Simard again on June 14, 2006, and presented her with new findings, including phone records, 22 e-mails, a printed version of a voice-mail memo left by Simard on Riley Aubin’s cellphone and three of Aubin’s report cards with comments from Simard that Riegel considered unusual. At that time, Simard revised her earlier position, indicating the phone calls she had with Aubin were not just about school work. “We talked about frequency and duration and the fact many were very late at night,” Riegel said. Riegel asked her about the language she used in Aubin’s report cards. And, he told the committee, he heard a voice mail that Simard left for Aubin. “Hi, I just thought I would record this message,” it said. “If ever you get a little lonely or down in the dumps, all you have to do is (pause) turn me on.” At the end of their June 14 meeting, Riegel suspended Simard with pay and told her to stay away from High Prairie School Division schools and students. Simard’s lawyer questioned school principal David Doucet about whether Aubin actually was a student during the second semester of the 2005-‘06 school year. By the end of the first semester, Aubin had completed his requirements for graduation. In the first few months of 2006, he rarely attended his only class, Phys. Ed. 30. Doucet couldn’t produce an electronic record to show that Aubin was registered during the second semester. But he did have a list, made by the gym teacher, showing dates that Aubin had attended Phys. Ed. The committee has the authority to cancel Simard’s ATA membership and recommend that the education minister cancel her teaching certificate. Update next week The hearing was expected to wrap up last Friday. Watch next week’s Express for the results.