As part of the agreement, the teacher acknowledged that the allegations were true and constituted a professional misconduct.
A North Vancouver elementary school teacher has been suspended for five days for a series of incidents, including a wrestling movement known as his students’ “backbreaker.”
The complaints against Sylvain Joseph-Leo Desbiens, which are being considered by the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, date from 2018 and 2019, when he was a teacher in 4th and 5th grade, according to a consent agreement published on May 17. .
In September 2018, a student told his parent that Desbiense would break the backs of male classmates, which involved him putting his knee in the backs of students and pulling their shoulders and arms (without using all his strength).
“The rear switch was perceived by some of the students as criminal in nature,” the regulatory documents said.
Desbiens also drew attention to the small size of the students and lifted them physically to move them when they were in the wrong place, according to the agreement.
Other incidents in the spring of 2019 have been the subject of complaints, including more backpackers.
“More than one student said it was causing pain,” the agreement said. “In one case, a group of students nominated a classmate to ‘sacrifice’ for punishment by getting his back, because the other students did not want to be beaten back.”
In other cases, he pinched a student’s trapezius muscle to the point where it hurt, the government said, and also pretended to hit students by forcibly slapping his open palm over their heads, although he once accidentally made contact. with a student. And Desbiens told the class he would wear a whip to school, hinting that he would be used as punishment.
“At least one student said he was afraid of Desbiense,” the report said.
Desbiense has been certified to teach in British Columbia since 1997. There have been other disciplinary incidents in his file. In September 2019, the school district stopped Desbiens without pay for three days and required him to attend a consultation with a psychologist in the workplace with a focus on boundaries and expectations. And in 2011, the school district in Vancouver issued a letter of anticipation to Desbiense after he sealed a student’s mouth.
As part of the agreement, Desbiens must also complete a course to create a positive learning environment by March 31, 2023.
In order to qualify for a consent agreement, Desbiens had to admit that the allegations were true and constituted a professional misconduct.
Factors in the commissioner’s five-day removal decision include Desbiense’s failure to create a positive learning environment for his students, that his actions endangered the physical and emotional safety of his students, and that he had previously been ordered to treat his students respectfully.
The decision does not specify which school or schools Desbiense taught at the time.
brichter@nsnews.com
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