A BC teacher was suspended for a total of ten days when she tugged a student's arm, causing them to fall to the ground.

Wendy Anne Bernier was first suspended by the Cariboo-Chilcotin School District for seven days, then the provincial regulator added another three days almost two years later, according to a decision published, Feb. 20.

In March 2022, the grade two student wrote graffiti on a school wall outside during a lunch break. Bernier, the student's teacher, went outside to take a picture of the graffiti once she had heard about it, according to the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation's decision.

What the student wrote and what they used to do it isn't specified in the decision.

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When Bernier tried to photograph it, the student ran in front to block her view. The teacher then grabbed the student's arm and pulled them away.

The student cried after falling to the ground, then ran into the school. They were followed in and teased by other students.

Although another school employee told Bernier about the teasing, she didn't check on the student.

One student who witnessed the incident said they felt "nervous" and another felt "scared," the decision said.

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Bernier was given a letter of discipline from her employer in April 2022 and suspended for seven days without pay.

It wasn't reported to the provincial regulator until that June, which considered past issues of physical contact with students before making a decision.

In December 2020, Bernier's employer sent her a "letter of direction," in which she was "reminded" that it's not appropriate to touch a student, unless they're a risk to themselves or others.

In March 2021, she was given a letter of discipline in response to claims she "physically handled" a student.

What happened in either of those incidents isn't clear, but she was made to address her students and their concerns after the second allegation, the decision said.

In the recently published decision, the regulator ordered that Bernier take classes on creating a positive learning environment by the end of March, along with her additional three-day suspension.

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