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Teacher suspended for not knowing a student was choked out in her classroom

Dec 5, 2018 | 12:58 PM

CAMPBELL RIVER — A substitute teacher in Campbell River was suspended for inaction after not knowing a student in her class was choked out and left with a concussion.

Denise Marie Allard was handed a seven-day suspension and removed from the teacher on call list after the Sept. 27, 2017 incident at a Campbell River high school.

Details of the incident and punishment were laid out in a recently released ruling from the Teacher Regulation Branch.

The agreed statement of facts said Allard was teaching a grade 10-12 robotics class when a student was placed in a chokehold, causing him to fall unconscious to the floor.

The student then told Allard he lost consciousness and needed to go to the office to get ice, showing her a lump forming on his head.

The injured student went alone to the school’s office to get ice and Allard did not insist that he be accompanied, even though she knew he lost consciousness.

Allard was then told by another student in the class what happened, but Allard did not alert the school’s administration.

While at the office, the injured student showed significant disorientation and was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion.

Allard left a note for the class’s regular teacher which read: ‘Hi [teacher], all went well – thanks – Good class – only [Student C] was absent.”

Allard was removed from the Campbell River School District’s teacher-on-call list in February and the seven-day suspension took effect Nov. 26.

The TRB commissioner stated Allard lacked insight into her behaviour and failed to acknowledge responsibility for what occurred.

 

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