A Vancouver ex-band instructor has been permanently barred from teaching following his admission of guilt in a student sexual assault case. Robert Kyle Ledingham is prohibited from reapplying for a teaching license in British Columbia after confessing to a single count of sexual assault in May 2024, as stated in an agreement from the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.

Ledingham, a certified teacher since May 2008, initially faced two charges of sexual exploitation and one charge of sexual assault in September 2020. The allegations involved a student who volunteered at a high school in the Vancouver School District where Ledingham taught high school band between April and June 2019. The student’s identity remains confidential due to a court-ordered publication ban, and they attended a different high school from Ledingham’s teaching institution.

Upon pleading guilty to one count of sexual assault in May 2024, the other charges against the band teacher were dropped. He received a 15-month conditional sentence order, which included a condition preventing him from seeking employment in roles with authority over individuals under 18. The Vancouver School District terminated Ledingham’s employment in November 2024.

In the agreement, Ledingham acknowledged his actions as professional misconduct, resulting in a lifelong prohibition from applying for a teaching certificate.