A Shuswap Middle School teacher will be serving a suspension in May for failing to comply with safety regulations in his shop class and repeatedly using inappropriate language with students.
As part of a resolution agreement with the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Karl Roderick Emde agreed to serve the five-day suspension of his teaching certificate. He will be suspended without pay from May 2 to 6.
Emde has previously been suspended twice by the school district.
When contacted by the Observer, School District #83 would not comment, except to say that all personnel matters are dealt with in private under the terms of the collective agreement.
In the first case, Emde allowed one of his students to operate a sander in a Grade 8 Material Explorations class in February 2014 while she was wearing a scarf and without tying back her long hair. The girl's scarf became caught in the sander and she was injured. He also allowed the girl to operate the sander prior to having her complete the sander-specific safety training for that school year – a district safety requirement.
In that case, Emde was suspended for two days without pay on March 31 and April 1, 2014.
In the second case, Emde admitted to using inappropriate and profane language with students in his Grade 6/7 class, including referring to students as "idiot" and "dumbass."
On Oct. 8, 2014, the school district issued Emde a four-day suspension without pay for his inappropriate conduct, which was served Oct. 20 to 23. He was also required to complete a boundaries course offered by the BC Teachers Federation and wrote letters of apology to two of the affected students.
The teacher's regulation report also references four other instances of unprofessional conduct between 2007 and 2013, including a letter of reprimand for failing to report a fire which had occurred in his shop class.
As part of the resolution agreement, Emde admits the facts in the report are true and constitute professional misconduct.
Emde was not at work at Shuswap Middle School on Thursday.