Teacher disciplined after writing ‘poop’ on Coquitlam student’s arm

A kindergarten teacher in Coquitlam is being disciplined by the province’s Teacher Regulation Branch for taping a word to a student’s arm to try to get them to stop saying it.

Apparently, teacher Tania Jacobsen wanted the student — who has diverse abilities — to stop saying the word “poop” — so she wrote it out onto a piece of painter’s tape, crossed it out, and then put it on the student’s arm, embarrassing them in front of their classmates.

“Student A appeared distressed, embarrassed, and nearly in tears as this was done in front of Student A’s classmates. Jacobsen then removed the tape and said: ‘Student A, you cannot be saying that word or I might have to put this back on,'” the TRB discipline outcome stated.

The teacher was also found to have not supervised her kids properly on two occasions on one day last year.

According to the TRB, the first instance happened when three students were found shortly after lunch by another school employee, locked outside of Jacobsen’s classroom.

“When this employee asked Jacobsen why the students were outside, Jacobsen said to the students: ‘I have your parent’ phone numbers here and if you don’t listen to the teacher, I will call them.'”

The TRB has suspended Jacobsen for two days in relation to the incidents. The outcome says Jacobsen will observe those suspension days on Dec. 19 and 20 of this year.

The TRB said the two-day suspension was appropriate given the age of the students made them “particularly vulnerable,” Jacobsen had engaged in a “pattern of conduct,” she had “endangered the physical and emotional safety of the students,” and Jacobsen had “completed remedial work.”

According to the TRB, that remedial work included completing two workshops related to teaching children with autism and related disorders and completing a course at the Justice Institute of B.C.