A teacher in a Port Alberni school was recently suspended after a child in their care was injured in an incident which involved a pool noodle, according to the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation (BCCTR).
The incident in question took place in March of last year.
The teacher, Russell Stephen Bodnar, reportedly allowed for a Grade 9 physical education class to play a game of floor hockey, using pool noodles instead of sticks when the incident occurred.
Since that time, the BCCTR and Bodnar have signed an agreement in which the teacher agreed to the punishment handed down to him and some conditions on him returning to the classroom.
According to the report, Bodnar was encouraging the students to use the pool noodles to hit one another during the activity, although it is noted he stipulated they not strike one another “too hard.”
The report documents that the teacher was yelling to “Beat him,” “Get him” and encouraging the students who got hit by a pool noodle to, “Fight back.”
The students were not supposed to hit one another above the neck, as per Bodnar’s instruction, but some disregarded this rule.
The BCCTR report says that a student who shall be referred to as ‘Student A’ was struck several times in the face during this game and eventually had their glasses knocked off their face and broken.
Bodnar says that he was not aware of the glasses being broken until the end of the game.
Student A reportedly had his face get severely red and bruised from their glasses being broken, but Bodnar did not notice this either at the game’s conclusion.
The report notes that the condition of his face may have gotten worse throughout the day.
In a situation like this, the BCCTR says that Bodnar should have followed up with Student A to ensure they were okay after being hit and furthermore, he should have filled out an incident report.
On March 6th, 2023, School District 70, issued Bodnar a letter of discipline and suspended him for five days without pay.
The suspension was served between March 27th to 31st, last year.
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According to the BCCTR this wasn’t the first incident that drew concern for Bodnar’s teaching.
In December, 2021, he was suspended for three days for making a student feel uncomfortable during a physical education activity, using them to demonstrate an activity without their consent.
In July, 2021, Bodnar received a four day suspension for allegedly making inappropriate statements, encouraging his Grade 8 physical education students to “twerk.” For this offense, the BCCTR also had him complete a course for Reinforcing Respectful Professional Boundaries.
In June, 2021, he reportedly received a letter from the district in which he had to be reminded that touching students without their consent was not acceptable.
For all these issues combined, he has agreed to serve a three day suspension and complete a course through the District for Creating a Positive Learning Environment.
The BCCTR says that Bodnar was handed this punishment because he has engaged in repeated, concerning conduct and through his conduct, he has exposed his students to harm and created an unsafe learning environment.
His suspension is to take place between March 13th and 15th.
