BC teacher let students play games until one broke their scapula

A teacher in the Cowichan Valley will serve a four-day suspension after continuing to allow students to play a rough game, leaving one child with a broken scapula.

According to an Aug 16. BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision, teacher Shannon Steininger failed to maintain a safe learning environment for his students.

“Despite the concerns expressed by other adults, including the teacher on call, about the escalating physicality of the game,” the decision said, “Steininger did not respond in a timely or effective manner so as to prevent harm to students.”

On June 6. 2022, Steininger’s students were asked to create their own game as part of an end-of-year physical education assignment.

The Grade 8/9 students devised a game that combined ultimate frisbee with touch football and allowed for tackling. Steininger was unaware of the rules the students created.

The students played the game for the first time in front of Steininger and were told not to play rough. Some did so regardless and he eventually had to shut down the game because it was becoming too violent.

Two days later, on June 8, Steininger’s class played the game again. Despite students being warned three times, the game got increasingly aggressive until one student’s shirt was ripped. Steininger was advised by another teacher to revise the rules as the game was not safe.

However, on June 10, Steininger took students to a nearby park to play the game again. Two other adults were present, including the teacher on call. The violent play escalated until one student lifted another behind the knees and dropped them to the ground, leaving the student with a fractured scapula.

On July 4, 2022, the District issued Steininger a letter of discipline and suspended him for one day without pay. Steininger served the suspension on September 14, 2022.

On November 30, 2022, Commissioner Ana R. Mohammed, proposed a consent resolution agreement to Steininger and decided that he should serve a four-day suspension of his certificate of qualification from Nov. 14 to Nov. 17, 2023.

Steininger has agreed to the terms of the agreement and has admitted that he did not respond to the matter appropriately.

— This story was corrected Aug. 31 at 8:07 a.m. to clarify the bone that was broken.

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