Winnipeg teacher disciplined for ‘liking’ student’s post

A Winnipeg teacher, Jordan Nelson, has been disciplined for accidentally "liking" a post made by a student from a year ago. The incident occurred during a late-night scroll when Nelson, who is also a hockey coach, accessed a school hockey team social media account. He was reviewing the profiles of student-athletes and other followers when he inadvertently "liked" a post made by "Student A." Nelson claimed he did not "like" the post intentionally and was unaware of his action at the time.

The student's parent reported the activity, leading to an internal investigation and referral to Manitoba’s independent teacher commissioner. Nelson was placed on administrative leave, removed from his team manager position, and required to complete 'Commit to Kids' online training. His teaching certificate remains in good standing if he completes an additional course on appropriate student-teacher boundaries.

The commissioner emphasized that Nelson's conduct made "Student A" feel confused and uncomfortable, violating division policy. Pembina Trails School Division has also banned Nelson from managing school accounts without explicit approval from senior administration.