The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation said David Popoff, a teacher in the Southeast Kootenay School District, brought dry ice into his Grade 6 classroom on Oct. 21, 2024, without prior permission from the school.
A document released Tuesday said Popoff did not use any protective equipment while demonstrating the use of dry ice, including handling it with his bare hands and putting it in his mouth.
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, an extremely cold solid that can cause cold burns or frostbite when it comes into contact with skin and gives off carbon dioxide vapour.
An agreed statement of facts said Popoff demonstrated the dry ice again the next day while the Grade 6 students and a class of kindergarteners were together.
He told the older students they could handle the dry ice with their bare hands without protective equipment like safety glasses or protective clothing.
The students were not closely monitored while interacting with the dry ice, and at one point Popoff briefly left the room, leaving an education assistant in the classroom.
One student put dry ice in a water bottle and closed the lid. The bottle exploded, shooting upward into a ceiling tile, leaving shards around the room and spraying some students and the education assistant with liquid.
The document does not indicate anyone was injured, but it said some students were scared and at least one began crying.
According to the commissioner, Popoff downplayed the seriousness of the safety concerns when interviewed by the district and blamed the student for the incident. He said he would not do anything differently if he were to teach the same lesson again, but added he might feel differently if someone had been hurt.
The district suspended Popoff for 10 days. His certificate of qualification will also be suspended for two days this June.
