A B.C. teacher has been reprimanded after admitting to professional misconduct involving a Grade 1 student with diverse abilities.
The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation says Sau Yiu Velda Chan was working as an inclusion support teacher at a Mission elementary school when the incident occurred in 2023.
The agreement says the student, identified only as Student A, had an individualized education program and complex support needs.
In late January 2023, the student was lying on their stomach on the floor during a physical education class in a way that disrupted the rest of the class.
The agreement says Chan responded by grabbing the student by the ankles and pulling them to move them.
It also says that on at least three occasions during the school year, Chan was looking at her phone to check and answer messages from educational assistants and teachers when she should have been supervising students in her care.
The agreement says that meant she did not always notice when students were acting unsafely.
The Mission school district issued Chan a letter of discipline and suspended her for one day without pay in March 2023.
The district had previously warned Chan in December 2022 about cellphone use during instructional time and reminded her that teachers are expected to directly supervise students.
Chan admitted the conduct amounted to professional misconduct and was contrary to Standard 1 of the Professional Standards for B.C. Educators.
She agreed to a reprimand and must complete a course called Creating the Inclusive Classroom: Strategies for Success through Northern Lights College by Sept. 8, 2026.
The commissioner said Chan failed to treat the student with dignity and respect, that her lack of supervision could put students at risk of harm, and that she had previously been warned for similar conduct.
