'Get to work or I will kill you': BC teacher suspended for comments directed at Grade 9 student

A BC high school teacher has been handed a one day suspension for making a comment that made a Grade 9 student feel “uncomfortable and awkward.”

On Tuesday, a consent agreement between the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation and Ingrid Stengler was published online.

According to the agreement, Strengler was a teacher in School District No. 57 (Prince George) when the events happened in the 2022/2023 school year.

In late June 2023, the teacher reportedly told Student A to “get to work or I will kill you.”

The Commissioner wrote that the student reported feeling uncomfortable and one of the students in the class reported feeling “weird” after the teacher said that.

On June 29, the school district issued a letter of direction to Stengler, which directed her to “speak and treat students with respect.”

According to the agreement, the school district had previously raised concerns with Stengler following allegations of similar conduct, specifically on Mar. 11, 2022.

The district’s letter reminded her to “use words with students that are not hurtful in their meaning and/or that cannot be perceived as a threat, even when said in a joking manner.”

The Commissioner wrote that Stengler admitted that the comments constituted professional misconduct and agreed to a one-day suspension that will be served on June 16, 2025.

She also agreed to complete a course about creating a positive learning environment, which was done so in July 2024.

The Commissioner said the reprimand was appropriate because Stengler failed to create a positive learning environment and had previously engaged in, and had been warned about, similar conduct.