A teacher in northwest B.C. was suspended for two weeks after crashing a COVID-19 vaccine clinic being hosted by his school in 2021.
According to a consent resolution agreement from the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, Patrick James Nelson was employed by the Coast Mountains School District 82 at the time of the incident.
A vaccine clinic was being held in Nelson’s school on Oct. 6, 2021, where students who were legally able to were able to get vaccinated if they chose.
Nelson left the class he was teaching unattended and made his way to the cafeteria where he “angrily interrupted and disrupted” the vaccination clinic with students present.
With a raised and angry voice, Nelson told Northern Health staff they were “guests” in the school, that they had no right to immunize students without parental permission and that the vaccines were dangerous and poisonous.
He also told Northern Health staff they were unethical and should be ashamed of themselves.
Nelson was angry enough that school administration was called and some students became upset and had to be removed from the cafeteria.
While one of the nurses tried to calm the unmasked Nelson, he got close to her and yelled and pointed in her face.
Five months later, on March 3, 2022, the school district wrote Nelson up and suspended him without pay for two weeks that month. He was also required to apologize in writing to Northern Health staff and attend a meeting with impacted students and staff. He was required to take a professional boundaries course.
The district had previously issued a letter of discipline to Nelson on Nov. 12, 2019, when he swore in front of his class in frustration.
As a part of the consent agreement, Nelson agreed to take additional courses on conflict resolution.
A school district newsletter indicates Nelson spent the 2021 school year teaching at Hazelton Secondary School.
