A teacher in BC with strict rules about when you’re allowed to leave his woodshop was disciplined for pushing a student out of a door.

According to documents from the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Blair Howard Murray Hughes working as a teacher at School District 61 (Sooke) when an incident occurred on December 14, 2020.

Hughes had a strict rule about staying in the classroom until the bell rang, but at the end of his class, some of his Grade 7 students were starting to leave the classroom early.

Hughes followed the students who left, and in a loud voice, told them to return to the woodshop.

The documents name Student A as among the children who had left the classroom and were being told off by Hughes.

Student A told Hughes that a teacher on call in a neighbouring classroom had directed them and the other students to come out.

“Hughes and Student A began having an increasingly heated discussion about when students about when students could leave the woodshop,” read the documents.

Hughes told Student A in a raised voice that students couldn’t go outside until the bell rang. When Student A talked back, Hughes said “stop being disrespectful, I’m not your mom and dad!”

Then, Hughes put his hand on Student A’s shoulder to guide him out of the classroom. When Student A raised his arms, Hughes held on to his wrist. Student A told him to stop touching him, and Hughes pushed him out of the door.

Hughes got a letter of discipline and was suspended without pay for two days. He has to complete the course Creating a Positive Learning Environment.

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