Teacher acquitted of assaulting 12-year-old Coral Harbour student
Judge calls teacher’s use of force justifiable under the circumstances
Michelle Wolf, a former math teacher at Sakku School in Coral Harbour, was acquitted of assaulting a student on Tuesday. (File photo)
A teacher charged with assaulting a 12-year-old student in 2023 was acquitted in an Iqaluit courtroom Tuesday.
Michelle Wolf, who participated in the court proceedings by video link, broke into tears as Justice Mia Manocchio read out her verdict.
“I believe Ms. Wolf’s testimony. It makes the most sense,” Manocchio said.
On May 5, 2023, Wolf, who at the time was a teacher at Sakku School in Coral Harbour, grabbed a student by his hoodie.
The physical altercation in the classroom was never in doubt. Both parties agreed it had happened. However, the assault charged hinged on the circumstances leading up to the incident.
“I’m satisfied that Ms. Wolf’s actions on the date in question in May 2023 were done for corrective purposes and were reasonable under the circumstances. I acquit Ms. Wolf of the charge brought against her,” the judge said.
Wolf’s defence relied on a section of the Criminal Code that allows schoolteachers to use force on a student to correct behaviour or prevent harm to other students; however, the use of force must be reasonable under the circumstances, Manocchio said.
Tuesday’s verdict followed a trial held last month in Coral Harbour. Wolf testified that the student had been disrupting her math class by chasing another student, and the disruption included jumping on desks.
To stop the disruption, Wolf said she felt she had no choice but to grab one of the students. Wolf testified she did not want to hurt the student, but felt there was no other way to gain control of her classroom.
The student, who was 12 at the time and cannot be named due to a court-ordered publication ban, contended the assault happened in the afternoon, long after the disruption of Wolf’s mid-morning math class.
The student testified he asked her if he could go to the washroom. Wolf agreed, then grabbed him by the hoodie unprovoked, he testified.
The incident was reported to police months later in October 2023, and Wolf was subsequently charged.
Wolf left the Coral Harbour school in June 2023 after working there for eight months. A court summons in November 2023 indicated she was living in Ulukhaktok, N.W.T. Nunatsiaq News has not been able to independently verify her current place of employment.
Shame on the Crown for moving this to the end. Grabbing a shirt? No wonder Nunavut cannot get professionals in here.
Student created trouble. Violent behavior by student. Typical Nunavut reaction. Empathy for the violent student and animosity for the teacher disciplining $#@& student. Real Nunavut.
Be happy now because a guard will most likely discipline the “poor criminal” later. Guaranteed.
Crown made a mistake by even laying the charge. I hope she is happy in NWT. And is respected. And will continue to work as educator. She did nothing wrong.
It is no secret that schools in Nunavut are toxic environments for educators, just go read all the subreddits.
The script is predictable: Child is unhappy with being disciplined by a teacher because they don’t ever get disciplined at home, blames the teacher, blows the story out of proportion and goes home to tell their mom who then posts a bunch of nasty racist stuff on Facebook, then the whole community turns on the teacher. Teacher then goes on stress leave and keeps getting paid for years. Teachers Union knows this story all too well.
It takes a community to raise a child, but when a parent spreads rumours and the community goes along with it, what kind of example is being set? Of course this teacher got off. This teacher should have never been charged in the first place.
A teacher with no problems for the first 22 years of her career comes to Nunavut and within 8 months gets charged with assault. Parents need to parent their children.
Have the RCMP nothing better to do than conduct a witch hunt? Shame on whoever did this.