B.C. teacher suspended for racist comments toward Black colleagues, scaring students
A teacher from Northern B.C. who was fired from his job for making racist comments to his coworkers and scaring his students has had his certificate of qualification suspended for four weeks.
Brent Alexander Daniel entered into a consent agreement with the province's commissioner for teacher regulation earlier this month, admitting to a series of acts of professional misconduct that began in 2021.
In April of that year, Daniel was teaching at a public school in the Peace River South district when he had an altercation with a Grade 8 student during a Phys Ed class. The student, referred to as "Student A" in the agreement, threw a soft ball at Daniel, which hit him in the head. Daniel responded by chasing the student.
"Daniel then physically grabbed the hood of Student A’s sweatshirt with his hand from behind Student A, causing Student A to fall to the ground," the document says, adding that Daniel yelled at the student and accused them of exaggerating their injury.
"As a result of Daniel grabbing Student A’s hood, there was a red mark on Student A’s neck and Student A had pain in one elbow. Student A felt scared and sad as a result of Daniel’s conduct."
That incident resulted in a 10-day suspension and a transfer to another school in the district.
The following year, when Daniel was on a leave of absence from his job with the district, he applied to teach at an independent school run by a First Nation. The commissioner found that he was "dishonest" on his application because he failed to include any information about his employment with the district on his resume.
Once he got the job at the school, the agreement says, there were four separate instances of his making racist comments toward his Black colleagues in the span of a month.
"When a colleague, who was wearing a medical face mask, walked by Daniel in the hallway, Daniel said words to the effect of “I’d better put away my valuables” and when this colleague asked Daniel why, Daniel replied 'a black man wearing a mask,'" was one instance described in the agreement.
"Daniel, who was holding a bottle of vitamins, gestured towards a colleague and said words to the effect of, 'Here, you’ll need these when your HIV gets unbearable,'" was another.
In November of 2022, the school disciplined Daniel by issuing him a written reprimand and putting him on probation for three months.
That same month, the school reported several incidents in which Daniel "acted inappropriately" toward students at the K – 12 school. Those included shouting and screaming at kids, swearing and slamming doors, and one case where kids feared they would be hurt by his actions.
"When some students were hiding from Daniel under some stacked chairs, Daniel yelled at the students to get out and kicked the chairs very hard. The students were afraid the chairs would fall on them," the consent agreement says.
Daniel was fired for cause on Nov. 30, 2022.
In addition to a four-week suspension of Daniel's teaching certificate he is required to complete a course on "Creating a Positive Learning Environment." Failure to do so, the agreement notes, could lead to another suspension of his credentials.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.