A B.C. high school teacher has been suspended for one week after the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation determined his actions toward a special needs student were inappropriate.
David Wesley St. Clair Reid was teaching a Grade 8 class at an undisclosed school in February 2021, and ended up physically removing a student with an individual education plan (IEP) from the class.
The commissioner’s ruling stated how Reid did not familiarize himself with the IEP.
“As a consequence, Reid was not familiar with events that would trigger Student A or how to respond appropriately to Student A when triggered,” the two-page ruling states.
Reid subsequently “embarrassed” the student in front of their classmates. While it’s not stated what Reid did, the student “grew agitated, and reached up and made contact with Reid’s face.”
Then, “Reid responded by physically moving Student A out of the classroom with his arm while angrily ordering Student A to leave.
“At one point, Student A tripped and fell backwards onto the floor, causing Reid to fall on top of Student A. Reid then began pulling Student A up while ordering Student A out of the classroom. Reid’s response was not in compliance with the safety plan,” the ruling states.
Reid was suspended by his school district for five days without pay in March 2022.
On Feb. 2, 2023, Reid entered into a consent resolution agreement with the commissioner, and admitted his actions that day constitutes professional misconduct. He agreed to a one-week suspension of his certificate of qualification under the B.C. Teachers Act, to be served starting Feb. 27.
