Coquitlam teacher suspended after handing out anti-SOGI pamphlets

A teacher in Coquitlam was suspended in late 2019 after handing out anti-SOGI pamphlets.

The British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation explained in a ruling that Dori Waldene Hannibal worked at an elementary school in the district.

Last June, Hannibal had a conversation with a member of the school’s Parent Advisory Committee that was not related to school; instead, the teacher brought up a committee meeting that was taking place and gave the parent two pamphlets to hand out to other members.

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The pamphlets had the statement “Stop SOGI 123,” which is a policy and curriculum whose goal is to make schools inclusive for students, regardless of their sexual orientations and gender identities.

The ruling said that when Hannibal spoke to the committee member, she also made “inflammatory statements” about the “content and nature” of SOGI, particularly that it was harmful to students.

The Coquitlam School District made the report several months later in October and suspended Hannibal for 15 days without pay.

In addition to having her teacher’s licence suspended for a day, she’ll be required to complete a “Creating a Positive Learning Environment Course” at a later date.