A BC high school teacher has been reprimanded for tapping a student on the shoulder with a file folder.
According to the BC teacher regulator, Elizabeth Cousar was teaching a Grade 12 Contemporary Indigenous Studies class in February 2023. She was teaching in School District 34 (Abbotsford) at the time.
.jpg)
On Feb. 1, students were giving class presentations and she asked the class several times to remain quiet.
Cousar was sitting behind a student who was talking to another student during the presentations.
“Cousar contacted Student A on the upper back with two empty paper file folders,” the regulator wrote in a summary of a consent resolution with the teacher.
“The force of contact was strong enough to make a sound heard by the other students but did not cause any bodily injury.”
On Mar. 3, 2023, she was issued a letter of warning from the school district, which included “concerns” about the incident.
The BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation ordered an investigation that November.
On July 12, 2024, the commissioner proposed a consent resolution.
The regulator wrote that Cousar agreed that her actions constituted professional misconduct.
She was ordered to complete a course on creating a positive learning environment by Sept. 5, 2025.
The regulator said Cousar failed to model appropriate behavior expected of a teacher and “jeopardized the physical and emotional safety of students in her class.”
