A B.C. principal, who was previously employed by a First Nation at a certified band school, has received a three-day suspension and been ordered to take educational courses after she spanked an Indigenous student, according to a shared online by the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
Pehgee Aranas was first reported to the commissioner in December 2023, a month after she spanked a Grade 1 student at the school. The resolution statement did not include the school's location.
The consent resolution agreement states that in January 2024, Aranas signed an undertaking in which "she agreed not to make physical contact with any student at any school at which she is working unless it is necessary to protect the student from an immediate risk of harm."
The Nation ended her employment in May 2024.
"Aranas did not act in Student A鈥檚 best interests, did not treat Student A with dignity and respect and did not create a safe and inclusive learning environment for
Student A," stated the commissioner in the consent agreement.
The commissioner added her actions "perpetuated the harmful legacy of physical abuse in Indian Residential Schools and reflected a belief in harmful stereotypes. Her actions harmed Student A, negatively impacted the community鈥檚 feelings of trust and safety in the education system and did not contribute towards truth, reconciliation and healing."
Aranas had previously been disciplined in 2021 for making anti-Indigenous comments, when she wrote in an email to an employee who had called in sick to 鈥淪uck it up, buttercup!!! The symptoms are just injection symptoms and not actual sickness! Tough native men like you have survived worse??? Lol鈥�.
The consent agreement noted Aranas would not make any statement "orally or in writing which contradicts, disputes or calls into question the terms of the consent resolution agreement or the admissions made in it."
