Teacher suspended without pay for mimicking child’s outburst

A Winnipeg teacher has been reprimanded for mocking a nine-year-old who was having a meltdown and inspiring classmates to join in.

Jason Richard Schneider is the latest name to be added to Manitoba’s running list of educators who’ve engaged in misconduct.

The online teacher registry was updated Wednesday with details about why Schneider was temporarily suspended without pay and shuffled to a different school at the end of the 2024-25 year.

“His conduct caused or was likely to cause significant emotional harm to one or more children,” a summary of a probe undertaken by teacher commissioner Bobbi Taillefer read.

The teacher’s professionalism was called into question on April 28 following a series of incidents in his Grade 3/4 classroom.

The Louis Riel School Division brought related concerns about the longtime employee — who had been disciplined by the division internally in the past — to Taillefer’s office on May 12.

A third-party probe, which was ordered on June 2, found Schneider repeatedly failed to treat multiple young children with dignity and respect last year.

Taillefer looked into three different incidents that happened on April 29.

The most egregious began when Schneider asked his elementary students to gather on a carpet to play a game.

One of the children, a nine year old who was described as having “higher needs,” was declared “out” in the first round.

Frustrated by the situation, the student reportedly burst into tears.

The child declined an educational assistant’s offer to take a walk and instead stretched out on their stomach on the floor, waved their arms and continued to cry.

Schneider responded to the outburst by mimicking the child’s behaviour, gestures and expression. Other students followed his lead.

“Schneider continued to mimic (the child) until the educational assistant told him and the other students to stop,” the report said.

Schneider signed a “consent resolution agreement” — a contract outlining facts about his behaviour and his commitment to do better — last week.

It shows he told another child, whose individualized learning plan required they spend time outside the classroom, that they’d keep better track of their belongings if they attended more regularly.

He also made a critical comment about a student’s language proficiency, despite knowing they’d been struggling due to their limited understanding of English.

The division placed Schneider on administrative leave on April 29 — the day of all three recent incidents.

He was suspended without pay from May 5 to 9, transferred to a new school, required to complete training and subject to regular check-ins and classroom observations.

Superintendent Christian Michalik said in a statement that Schneider has been “subject to increased supervision throughout the 2025-26 school year.”

Michalik declined to provide more details about the employee’s previous history of disciplinary action, citing confidentiality concerns.

Schneider’s signed agreement indicated his division provided Taillefer with his disciplinary file as part of her review.

He has a history of misconduct resulting in workplace consequences and had been reminded about his need to maintain a positive and safe learning environment for students in the past.

There are new limitations on Schneider’s teaching certificate, first issued in 1996, although he is listed as being in “good standing” on the teacher registry.

He has until March 31 to complete four professional development courses, as per Taillefer’s orders.

The commissioner has prescribed he study anger management, inclusivity, communication, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and positive and professional relationships.

“(This case) is a reminder of the importance of maintaining professionalism and integrity in the classroom, and our compassion and kindness to students who are in our care,” said Jan Stewart, dean of the University of Manitoba’s faculty of education.

At the same time, Stewart cautioned against drawing any firm conclusions about how best to handle student outbursts. Some students respond well to gentle music, breathing exercises or being handed a stuffed animal, the former elementary teacher noted.

Her advice to all teachers is to pause when there’s a behavioural concern and keep in mind that a child is in distress and acting out “because they have no other options.”

Schneider is listed as a Class 7 teacher. He earned $121,397 in the Louis Riel School Division in 2024, according to the latest available public sector compensation disclosure data.

Jay McGurran, who represents teachers in St. Vital and surrounding communities, deferred comment on the case to Manitoba Teachers’ Society headquarters.

The president of the union representing 17,000 public school teachers in the province said she does not condone “behaviour that is unbecoming of a teacher.”

“We believe that our teachers, our members need to be fostering inclusive and safe environments for all their learners in their classrooms,” union leader Lillian Klausen said.

Klausen said she was pleased this teacher has accepted responsibility for his actions. “We can all grow from our experiences,” she added.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

JASON R SCHNEIDER