B.C. teacher who hit Indigenous teen 'on the rear end' with book faces 2-day suspension, mandatory training
A B.C. teacher is facing a two-day licence suspension and has to undergo anti-racism training, nearly three years after she was fired over two physical interactions with Indigenous students.
Deborah Laurie Croft mistreated the students while teaching at an unnamed school, which terminated her employment in June 2020, according to her consent agreement with the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
It was posted online Tuesday, and explains that the first event of concern happened on Nov. 5, 2019, and involved a group of students who allegedly refused to leave Croft’s classroom to allow her to prepare for a scheduled meeting there.
“Croft became frustrated, shut the classroom blinds and locked the door from the inside so that other students could not enter,” the regulatory body wrote.
According to the agreement, Croft then pulled at the arm of an Indigenous Grade 11 student and grabbed the teen’s phone from their hands “in an attempt to force them to leave the room.”
The notice explains that three months later, on Feb. 25, 2020, Croft became frustrated with an Indigenous Grade 10 student who was “being disruptive in class, at one point noisily slamming a book shut.”
Croft then asked the student to leave, took a book and hit the teen “on the rear end with it,” according to the agreement.
The student was “visibly upset and reported feeling humiliated afterwards,” the resolution continued.
While determining Croft’s consequences, the commissioner found she failed to treat students with dignity and respect, and acted in a matter “inconsistent with an educator’s responsibility to contribute to truth, reconciliation and healing.”
Croft admitted to the professional misconduct listed in the agreement, and has been given an April 30 deadline to complete a mandatory course about systemic racism in Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.