B.C. teacher suspended for dragging student from class and falling on top of them

A teacher who angrily dragged a student with special learning needs from a classroom, then toppling on them when they fell, has had his teaching certificate suspended for a week.

David Wesley St. Clair Reid agreed to the discipline in a consent resolution agreement with the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation in a decision posted to the commissioner’s website on Tuesday.

The agreed statement of facts shows that the student, listed only as Student A, had “well-documented designations and an individual education plan” due to struggles with learning.

But Reid hadn’t familiarized himself with the plan for the student and thus “was not familiar with events that would trigger Student A or how to respond appropriately to Student A when triggered.” This caused Reid to embarrass the student in front of classmates.

When the student “grew agitated and reached up and made contact with Reid’s face, Reid responded by physically moving Student A out of the classroom with his arm while angrily ordering Student A to leave.