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A Vancouver elementary teacher has been ordered to take a B.C. Justice Institute course after being suspended twice for professional misconduct.
This week, the B.C. commissioner for teacher regulation released an agreement stating teacher Lisa Gail Schwarz must take a course on creating a positive learning environment at the Justice Institute, or face having her teaching licence suspended.
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Schwarz, who received her licence in 2018, came to the commissioner’s attention after being suspended without pay twice by the Vancouver school district, for three days in February 2022 and for five days in October 2023.
According to the ruling, the first suspension came when Schwarz was teaching a Grade 6 class and refused to let a student with a disability leave the classroom at recess. This resulted in the student getting a bruised hand as they tried to open the door being blocked by Schwarz.
The ruling said the student had an individualized education plan and Schwarz was familiar with the student’s needs, which included regular breaks in the school day.
The three-day suspension also factored in that Schwarz was not updating her students’ individualized education plans as required, sometimes raised her voice inappropriately at students, grew frustrated at students, used her personal cellphone during instructional time and engaged in arguing and name-calling.
The second suspension occurred at a different school after Schwarz had been switched from teaching children with individualized education plans to working as a teacher on call.
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In this case, Schwarz was teaching a Grade 5/6 class and “used inappropriate methods to address students’ interest in a controversial public figure known for making problematic statements about women.”
This included using an anecdote about sexual assault and attempts to address it in the justice system and playing a video that included age-inappropriate content, language, and discussions of sexual violence.
In a separate incident, she failed to ensure that students followed proper safety protocols when using a microscope in class.
“Schwarz admits that the conduct described … constitutes professional misconduct and is contrary to standard 1 of the professional standards for B.C. educators,” the commissioner ruled, noting that Schwarz had attempted to improve her behaviour over the past two teaching years.
“It is a mitigating factor that Schwarz has taken steps to address underlying issues that contributed to her conduct, and to improve her classroom management skills,” the ruling states.
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