A BC teacher has been reprimanded after she made a demeaning comment to an elementary school student in front of their classmates, according to discipline documents.
A parent complained to the Teachers Act commissioner after their child said their feelings were hurt by Elaine Joy Fraser’s comments.
The parent made the complaint in August 2022 against Fraser, who was teaching a class during the 2021/2022 school year. After making the comment to the student, according to discipline documents, she also made it a point of rewarding the class for excluding the child because of their behaviour.
Not long before this complaint was made, Fraser had previously received a letter from the school district to remind her of its expectation “that she carry out her duties in a manner that fosters the emotional safety of her students and demonstrates that diversity in her classroom is valued,” the discipline document reads.
Previously, in 2009, the school district issued Fraser a written reprimand after she allegedly hit a student with a textbook.
Less than a year later, she received another written reprimand after she allegedly nudged a student on the back of his leg with her foot to get his attention, “and that she had extended her leg, caus[ed] the student to run into it.”
“It was also alleged that Fraser would yell at students and tell them to ‘shut up,'” the document reads.
In response, Fraser was told to avoid inappropriate physical contact with students and telling them to “shut up.”
An investigation has since taken place in response to the incident during the 2021/2022 school year.
The commissioner found that Fraser “failed to create a positive learning environment for students when she did not treat [the student] with dignity and respect.”
It added, “Fraser failed to model appropriate behaviour expected of an educator,” and the student she made demeaning comments towards “was particularly vulnerable due to a unique learning profile.”
In the consent resolution agreement, Fraser agreed to be reprimanded and complete the Creating a Positive Learning Environment course.