B.C. teacher suspended for pushing pupil that budged in front of her

A B.C. teacher has been reprimanded for pushing a student that budged in front of her and telling the pupil to respect her personal space.

According to a recently published Feb. 23 B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision, Mission elementary school teacher Kathie Fay Fairclough was teaching a Grade 5 and 6 music class when the incident took place.

Fairclough was in the student’s classroom, standing at a laptop when the student leaned around the computer and placed themselves between the teacher and her laptop.

The decision says Fairclough was "angry and alarmed" that the student was blocking the computer from her and looking at the screen.

"Fairclough reacted by pushing (the) student out of the way with one hand and telling them to respect her personal space," the decision says. "(The) student lost their balance in their chair but did not fall over. After pushing (the) student, Fairclough did not ask... if they were all right."

The decision says the teacher then "quietly reminded" the student to respect her personal space.

READ MORE: B.C. teacher reprimanded for 'upsetting' students by raising his voice

The decision says the incident occurred in front of the entire class.

The school district suspended Fairclough for three days without pay following the incident and made her complete the course, Creating a Positive Learning Environment.

The Commissioner for Teacher Regulation then became involved and Fairclough signed a consent resolution agreement agreeing that her behaviour constituted professional misconduct.

"Fairclough failed to model appropriate behaviour expected of an educator, and... failed to create a positive learning environment for her students," the decision reads.

The decision doesn't explain why but the teaching regulator also made Fairclough take the same Creating a Positive Learning Environment course she'd taken previously as part of her reprimand from the school district.

The consent resolution agreement which Fairclough signed also stipulates she is not allowed to make any statement either verbally or in writing that contradicts or disputes the agreement.

READ MORE: B.C. teacher suspended for taking on a 'counsellor' role with students

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