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October 27, 2020 - 6:30 PM
A Langley teacher who manhandled two young students in her care will briefly lose her professional licence.
Roxann Desiree Rojas was working at the Langley School District for the 2018/19 school year when she “failed to create a safe and respectful learning environment,” according to a Consent Resolution Agreement published today, Oct. 27, by the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
In the decision, it states Rojas was teaching a Grade 3 class in Langley and took issue with the behaviour of an eight-year-old student in her class.
On Sept. 18, 2018 at meet the teacher night, when Rojas asked a question, the student mumbled, “I don’t know” and Rojas grabbed the student by the arm and pulled their ear to make them face her, according to the decision.
On another occasion, according to the decision, during regular instruction, Rojas grabbed the same student’s chair when the student was sitting in it and shook it, causing the student to fall out of the chair.
Rojas also shook the chair while the child was sitting close to its edge to demonstrate what could happen as a result.
That was not the only child that Rojas had issues with, however. On Oct. 4, 2018, a seven-year-old student was being non-compliant, when Rojas “angrily grabbed (the student) by the arms and dragged (them) into the hallway."
The student was screaming and crying and asking her to stop, according to the decision.
Rojas then grabbed and “shoved the child back in the classroom and stood over that student in a threatening manner while (they) lay on the ground in the fetal position, crying and asking Rojas to stop,” the decision states.
It also indicates that Rojas was yelling at the student loudly enough that she could be heard in the nearby staff room.
“After this incident, there were red marks on (the students) arm from where Rojas had grabbed (them),” the decision reads.
On Oct. 11, 2019 the district issued Rojas a letter of discipline and suspended her for four months without pay.
More discipline followed, in part, because this wasn’t the first time the district had issues with Rojas. They issued her a letter of direction June 11, 2010 and she was reminded that teachers “cannot put their hands on students in a manner that a reasonable person would consider inappropriate.”
At that time she was also reminded that teachers are expected to “exercise an appropriate duty of care toward students that addresses their physical and emotional safety needs.”
On Nov. 15, the Commissioner of Teachers issued a two week suspension of her licence, under the Teachers Act.
They said she failed to create a safe and respectful learning environment, had inappropriate physical contact with students on more than one occasion and had preciously been reminded that this was not acceptable.
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