An elementary school principal in British Columbia has been suspended after helping a school staff member duct-tape a student to their seat in an alleged bid to help the child focus.
Renee Dawn MacCormack was working as an elementary school principal for the Southeast Kootenay school district during the 2023-24 school year when she authorized another staff member to use duct tape to secure a student to their chair, according to the consent resolution agreement signed by the principal and the B.C. commissioner for teacher regulation.
MacCormack also put duct tape on the student, the Jan. 3 agreement says. The goal of restraining the student was to improve the child’s concentration on an assignment.
“MacCormack came by some time later and took a picture of the Student’s work, helped to remove the duct tape, and gave the Student a prize for completing the assigned work,” the agreement says.
The agreement posted online this week does not name the school where the incident occurred.
The district suspended MacCormack without pay for 20 days on June 18 and reassigned her to another school. The incident was also reported to the B.C. B.C. commissioner for teacher regulation.
The commissioner suspended MacCormack’s teaching certificate for five days and ordered her to enrol in a course on how to create a positive learning environment, according to the agreement. She has until March 31 to complete the course.
The commissioner described MacCormack’s actions as “inappropriate.”
“MacCormack did not act in the Student’s best interests nor treat the Student with dignity and respect,” the document says. “MacCormack had a leadership role as a principal and she ought to have known that duct-taping a student to a chair was inappropriate; other staff at the School were aware that it was inappropriate.”
The commissioner said she also failed to “act with integrity” when she neglected to disclose her participation in the duct-taping incident to the school district “in a timely manner.”
“This conduct undermines the perception of the profession as a whole,” the commissioner said.
