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February 13, 2024 - 7:00 PM
A BC teacher was suspended for two days after she gave chocolate from an advent calendar to her students.
One of grade two student was allergic to nuts and the teacher nearly forgot to check the ingredients.
The student didn't eat the chocolate, but they did leave before Prince George teacher Nancy Le'Ann Babulal could stop them, according to a BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decision released today, Feb. 13.
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Babulal bought the advent calendar for the classroom on Dec. 1, 2021, but she didn't check for nut warnings first. The decision noted she normally would but a LEGO calendar with toys instead, but they were out of stock.
On Dec. 2, she invited three students to take a piece of chocolate from the advent calendar at the end of the day, including the one who is allergic to nuts.
Babulal then told that student not to eat it until she had checked for nuts in the ingredients, but she was occupied with other students lining up to leave the class.
The student left with their grandmother before Babulal could get there.
The chocolate, she discovered, had a hazelnut cream filling.
She searched, with no success, for the student and their grandmother, then returned to the classroom and called the student's mother.
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Babulal told her the student left with the chocolate, but it was still not eaten and a potential allergic reaction was averted.
The teacher "did not immediately" tell the principal or vice-principal about what happened. The school district sent her a letter of discipline and suspended her for two days without pay, according to the decision.
The commissioner considered the matter almost a year later and proposed an agreement with Babulal, who had been certified to teach in the province since 1981. She signed it and admitted to professional misconduct.
"Babulal's actions put a student's health and safety at risk," the decision read.
The commissioner did not add another suspension. Babulal agreed the misconduct happened and she will not publicly contradict the agreement the regulator.
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