BC teacher who hit Grade 12 student with file folders gets reprimanded

A BC high school teacher who hit a Grade 12 student on the back with empty file folders has been reprimanded by the regulator.

According to an Aug. 12 BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision, Abbotsford high school teacher Elizabeth Alaine Cousar was teaching a contemporary Indigenous studies class in 2023 when the incident took place.

The decision said students were giving presentations to the rest of the class and she’d told the class several times to be quiet.

Cousar was sitting behind two students who were talking when she struck the student on the upper back with two empty file folders.

“The force of contact was strong enough to make a sound heard by the other students but did not cause any bodily injury,” the decision said.

The school district issued the teacher a warning letter and reported the incident to the BC teaching regulator.

“Cousar’s actions jeopardized the physical and emotional safety of students in her class,” the regulator said in the decision. “(She) failed to model appropriate behaviour expected of an educator.”

Cousar, who began teaching in BC in 2009, signed a consent agreement admitting that her behaviour was professional misconduct.

Along with the public reprimand, she’ll also have to complete the course Creating a Positive Learning Environment before school starts in September.

Cousar also agreed not to make any oral or written statements which contradict the consent agreement she signed.