The Professional Standards Commission (PSC) revoked four teaching certificates Friday — for ethics violations that included sharing nude photos with students and having sexually explicit conversations with artificial intelligence during class.
The commission is a volunteer board that seats 18 teachers, school administrators and higher education officials. The board enforces the state’s code of ethics and has the authority to approve, suspend and revoke teaching and administrative certificates in Idaho.
On Friday, the board reprimanded two educators and suspended the certificate of another, in addition to making the four revocations.
Joseph Swainston — Wendell School District
Ethics violations: Unprofessional relationship with students and violations of state and/or federal laws
Disciplinary action: Certificate revoked
The PSC revoked Swainston’s teaching certificate after he shared a nude image of himself with students.
Gooding County prosecutors last year charged Swainston with three misdemeanor counts of disseminating material harmful to minors, KMVT reported. Swainston pleaded guilty to the charges and a judge sentenced him to serve 90 days in jail.
Justin Zarian — Emmett School District
Ethics violations: Unprofessional relationship with students and violations of state and/or federal laws
Disciplinary action: Certificate revoked
The PSC revoked Zarian’s teaching certificate after he had explicit conversations with an artificial intelligence chat bot in front of students.
The conversations were “sexual in nature,” according to a PSC administrative complaint, and occurred during class on a school computer while students were present.
Zarian resigned in November 2023, the complaint said.
Matthew Paul Fisher
Ethics violations: Unprofessional relationship with students
Disciplinary action: Certificate revoked
The PSC revoked Fisher’s certificate after he previously agreed to surrender his Iowa teaching license. While employed in a school there, he sent students “inappropriate emails” that were “personal in nature and exceeded the acceptable boundaries of teacher-student communications,” according to a PSC administrative complaint.
Fisher didn’t work as a public school teacher in Idaho.
Cassandra Kilpatrick
Ethics violation: Lack of honesty and integrity
Disciplinary action: Certificate revoked
The PSC revoked Kilpatrick’s certificate for failing to disclose that she had “pending or prior discipline proceedings or investigations” from another licensing authority when she applied for Idaho certification, according to an administrative complaint by the PSC. Kilpatrick was previously disciplined in nine different states, the complaint said.
Sheila Frei — Lewiston School District
Ethics stipulation: Inappropriate physical contact with a student
Disciplinary action: Letter of reprimand
Frei signed an agreement with the PSC to include a reprimand letter in her certification file after parents and staff complained that the Lewiston teacher inappropriately grabbed a student, according to an administrative complaint by the PSC.
Frei was placed on administrative leave last year following an investigation that found she “allegedly grabbed a student on the upper arms and left bruises.”
Patrick Gale Tully — Canyon-Owyhee School Service Agency
Ethics violation: Abandonment of contract
Disciplinary action: Certificate suspended nine months commencing Oct. 4, 2023
Tully signed an employment contract with the school district in May 2023, according to a PSC administrative complaint. On Sept. 29, 2023, Tully submitted a two-week notice of resignation but did not return to work on Oct. 4, 2023.
Tully “abandoned his position,” and did not fulfill the terms of his contract, the complaint said. The district did not agree to release Tully from the contract.
Ashley Vanwert — Post Falls School District
Ethics stipulation: Abandonment of contract
Disciplinary action: Letter of reprimand
Vanwert agreed to have a letter of reprimand placed in her certification file after she resigned from her contract and the district declined to accept the resignation. Vanwert did not fulfill the terms of her contract for the 2023-24 school year, according to an administrative complaint by the PSC.