BC teacher disciplined for calling hijab a Halloween costume
A BC teacher admitted to the provincial regulator he called a student's hijab a Halloween costume while substituting for another teacher's class. The Surrey school district suggested he take sensitivity training, but now the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation ordered...
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A BC teacher admitted to the provincial regulator he called a student's hijab a Halloween costume while substituting for another teacher's class.
The Surrey school district suggested he take sensitivity training, but now the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation ordered him to take a course before the end of August, according to a recent decision.
The decision comes more than a year after Donald Joseph Camozzi filled in for a grade 10 class in Surrey the day after Halloween in 2022.
In front of the class, he asked one of the students if she went trick-or-treating, to which she said no and that her family doesn't celebrate Halloween.
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"That's a nice Halloween costume, mine is better than yours," he responded, according to the decision.
He was comparing his shirt and tie to the student's hijab. She responded to say her hijab was not a costume, telling him to stop and that his remark was not funny.
One classmate said they thought it was funny, which Camozzi echoed to the hijab-wearing student.
Other students spread word of the incident around the school, according to the decision.
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The Surrey school district issued Camozzi a letter of discipline on Dec. 14, 2022, recommending he take cultural sensitivity training. He never did take the course.
In March 2023, the provincial regulator launched an investigation, finally coming to an agreement with Camozzi earlier this month.
The commissioner found Camozzi's comments mocking the hijab "had a negative impact" on the student. He's "engaged in similar conduct" in the past, according to the decision.
By Aug. 31, Camozzi is required to complete a course on creating a positive learning environment. If he doesn't, the commissioner may suspend his teaching certificate, which he has held in BC since 1988.
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