Kootenay teacher suspended after classroom explosion

An explosion in a Kootenay classroom has earned a middle school teacher a two-day suspension.

According to a March 24 BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision, David William Popoff was teaching a mixed Grade 6 and Kindergarten class about dry ice when a student placed the substance into a water bottle and closed the lid.

The bottle exploded and caused a hole in a ceiling tile.

The explosion scared some students, and at least one started to cry. Another had to change their clothes because they were wet from the explosion.

“Popoff demonstrated inadequate regard for students’ developmental maturity, and emotional and physical safety, and did not ensure that students were appropriately supervised during a potentially dangerous activity,” the Commissioner says in a decision.

The decision says that in October 2024, Popoff brought dry ice into his classroom without permission from the school.

He showed his Grade 6 students the dry ice, but did not wear gloves or any other protective equipment.

“Popoff handled the dry ice with his bare hands and put dry ice in his mouth,” the decision says.

The Southeast Kootenay middle school teacher then divided his class into groups, each containing some Kindergarten students.

He told the Grade 6 students they could handle the dry ice with their bare hands, and the students weren’t given gloves or safety glasses.

It was then that the student put the dry ice in the water bottle and caused the explosion.

The decision says that when questioned by the school district, Popoff downplayed the seriousness of the safety concerns and blamed the student for the incident.

“(He) stated that he would not do anything differently if he were to teach the same lesson again, but acknowledged that he might feel differently if someone had been hurt,” the decision says.

The decision doesn’t say which school Popoff taught at, but he was suspended for 10 days by the School District No. 5, Southeast Kootenay.

The file was then passed to the teaching regulator, who issued a further two-day suspension.

“Popoff created an unsafe environment by failing to follow appropriate safety guidelines for the handling of dry ice, failing to sufficiently instruct students on those safety guidelines, and demonstrating unsafe behaviours,” the Commissioner said.

Popoff signed a consent agreement admitting to his behaviour.