A British Columbia high school teacher has been formally reprimanded after showing students a graphic industrial accident video during a metalworking class, according to a discipline decision released by B.C.’s Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
Bradley Jonathan Bootsma, a certified teacher employed by School District No. 33 (Chilliwack), admitted to professional misconduct under the Teachers Act following an incident that occurred in February 2024 while he was teaching a Metalwork 11/12 class.
According to the consent resolution agreement, Bootsma played a 52-second video he obtained online that appeared to show a worker being pulled into a lathe and suffering serious physical injury. The video had no audio. Before showing it, Bootsma told students the video depicted a fatal accident and advised those who did not want to watch to look away or step outside the shop.
The school district reported the incident to the Commissioner on June 7, 2024, under the School Act. As a result, the district issued Bootsma a two-day suspension without pay and required him to meet with school administrators to review appropriate instructional resources. The suspension was served on June 26 and 27, 2024.
The Commissioner ordered a formal investigation on July 10, 2024, and later proposed a consent resolution agreement, which Bootsma accepted.
Under the agreement, Bootsma admitted that his actions constituted professional misconduct and violated Standard No. 1 of the Professional Standards for BC Educators, which requires teachers to create and maintain a safe learning environment.
The Commissioner issued a reprimand, citing several factors, including that Bootsma failed to create a safe learning environment, was relatively inexperienced as a teacher, and had taken steps since the incident to ensure his teaching materials are appropriate.
The reprimand will be recorded on the Ministry of Education and Child Care’s public online registry and published in full on the teacher regulation website, as required by the Teachers Act.
Bootsma also agreed not to make any public statements contradicting or disputing the terms of the agreement.
