A substitute teacher has received a seven-day suspension for how she handled an in-class injury in a Campbell River school in 2017.
Documents from the B.C. Commission for Teacher Regulation show that Denise Marie Allard received the suspension effective Nov. 26, 2018.
She had been a teacher on call (TOC), or substitute, with the district and was working in a local Grade 10-12 robotics classroom on Sept. 21, 2017 when a student was injured with what was later diagnosed as a concussion.
One student, identified in the document as Student A, had another, Student B, in a choke-hold, which caused B to lose consciousness and fall to the floor. The document states Allard did not see the incident.
Student B told Allard he had lost consciousness and was hurt, showing her a lump on his head. She suggested someone accompany him to the office, but he said he would go alone.
“At no time did Allard insist that Student B be accompanied to the office even though she knew he had lost consciousness,” the document states.
Nor did the teacher call the front office to tell administration the student was on his way.
After the student left, Student A asked the teacher if he could accompany his classmate to the office, which Allard denied. The student then left without her permission.
“While at the office, Student B exhibited significant disorientation and was later taken to the hospital where it was confirmed that he had suffered a concussion,” the decision states.
Shortly after Student A left the classroom, another student told Allard that Student A had been responsible for Student B’s injury. Allard did not call the office to alert school administration to this fact.
Later, she wrote a note for the regular teacher stating that everything had gone well, though she noted the absence of one student.
In response, School District 72 removed Allard from its TOC list as of Feb. 9.
The B.C. Commission for Teacher Regulation examined the case on Oct. 19, 2018. In the decision, it noted, “Student B sustained a serious injury and Allard failed to take appropriate steps in light of that fact, and Allard lacked insight into her behaviour and failed to acknowledge responsibility for what occurred.”
The decision shows that Allard agrees with the facts cited in the agreement and to the seven-day suspension.
The Mirror contacted the school district and the Campbell River District Teachers’ Association for further comment. The district said the commission’s report serves as the public statement, and the district is not in a position to comment further. The newspaper had not heard back from the CRDTA by press time.
