BC teacher reprimanded for grabbing student's arm

A BC teacher who grabbed a student by the arm has been publicly reprimanded. According to a June 11 BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows teacher Adam Guy Stanley grabbed the student for a few seconds but the physical contact was enough to get him put in front of the regulator. The decision said Stanley, who has been teaching for 25 years, was supervising students on recess when the altercation happened. In June 2023, a group of Grade 7 students were playing football when one student accidentally stepped on the foot of another student who wasn't wearing shoes. The hurt student "expressed a strong reaction through his body language" and swore loudly. Stanley saw this take place and in a concern the situation may escalate went over to intervene. He told the hurt student "using a loud voice" and swearing wasn't acceptable sent them to the office. At this point, the student walked away from Stanley to go and get his shoes. However, the teacher didn't realize this and thought the student was heading toward the student who stepped on his foot. Stanley then grabbed his arm and said loudly, "go to the office." READ MORE: JONESIE: How Canadian news became victims in its own story https://infotel.ca/opinion/jonesie/jonesie-how-canadian-news-became-victims-in-its-own-story/it105120 He then asked the student what he was doing and the student replied they were getting their shoes. Stanley then let go of the student's arm. "(The) student was visibly upset by Stanley's actions," the decision read. Months later, the school issued a letter to discipline to the teacher. Sometime after that, the regulator got involved. The teacher signed a consent agreement admitting to his behaviour. READ MORE: BC teacher reprimanded for joking he would shoot his students https://infotel.ca/newsitem/bc-teacher-reprimanded-for-joking-he-would-shoot-his-students/it104765 "Stanley used physical contact to restrain the movement of Student A when it was not necessary to protect students and without using an alternative measure to re-direct (the) student or to de-escalate the situation," the Commissioner said. The regulator accepted the fact that the contact was brief and Stanley immediately let go of the student when he realized he was going to get his shoes. On top of a public reprimand, Stanley will now have to complete the course Creating a Positive Learning Environment. The teacher is also barred from making any statements that contradict the consent agreement. To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer mailto:bbulmer@infonews.ca  or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .