A B.C. teacher “unintentionally left behind” a student with special needs when returning to class after a field trip to a local park, according to the provincial regulator for the profession.
William Mallachd Klassen acknowledged what happened in a consent resolution agreement with the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation that was published online this week.
In the agreement, he admitted his behaviour constituted professional misconduct and agreed to a formal reprimand under the Teachers Act.
According to the document, Klassen was a vice principal and an elementary school teacher in the Kootenay Lake School District at the time of the incident, which occurred on June 25, 2025.
Klassen decided to take his split Grade 6-7 class on “an unplanned trip to a nearby park” about a 10-minute walk away. The consent agreement indicates another Grade 7 class and its teacher also attended.
One of the students in Klassen’s class had an individual education plan (IEP) and required one-on-one support from an educational assistant (EA), according to the agreement.
“Prior to leaving for the park, Klassen advised the student’s EA that she was not required to attend,” the document reads. “The EA remained at the school.”
After spending about 25 minutes in the park, the two classes made their way back to the school.
“When the classes left the park, Klassen did not take attendance for his class and the student was unintentionally left behind,” the agreement reads. “The student walked back to the school unaccompanied and returned to Klassen’s classroom approximately five minutes after the rest of the students.”
The consent agreement describes the student as “crying and visibly upset upon returning to the school.”
Klassen “immediately informed the school’s principal” of what had happened and accepted responsibility for the incident, according to the document. He also contacted the student’s parents and apologized to both them and the student.
He was reprimanded by the school district just days after the incident, the agreement notes, adding that the commissioner ordered its investigation in January of this year.
According to the document, the commissioner considered two factors when concluding that a reprimand was an appropriate consequence for Klassen.
Klassen “failed to take reasonable steps to ensure student safety,” the agreement notes, but he also “immediately accepted responsibility and acknowledged the seriousness of his conduct.”
