A Burns Lake teacher was handed a one-day suspension for twice putting her students through a game of kick the can gone awry.
According to a consent resolution agreement with the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Margaret Kathleen Rayanne Charlie organized one of the games on the last day of class for her Grade 8 drama class for the 2015-16 school year.
Called "Game of Rainbows" it involved two "seekers" trying to catch or "kill" the rest of the students before they could run back and kick the can.
Those who were caught were lined up and hosed with water in front of their classmates. The game went through two rounds with the potential for some students to be sprayed twice.
One student who was sprayed at the end of the first round asked to opt out of the second round because she had a math review scheduled for her next class. Charlie refused the request and the student, soaking wet, had to go home to change into dry clothes, missing the math review in the process.
One other student suffered a wound that needed six stitches, another sprained an ankle and some students said playing the game was stressful and made them feel anxious.
In 2015, Charlie organized a similar game called "Live and Die" in which a mixture of flour, water and vinegar were poured on the losers' heads as they lay down the school courtyard.
When a parent subsequently complained, Charlie assured Nechako Lakes school district administration the game would not be played again.
Following the second incident, the district issued Charlie a letter of discipline in September and the Commissioner considered the matter the following month. The suspension was served Feb. 10.
