Winnipeg teacher disciplined for ‘liking’ student’s post

A recent investigation by Manitoba’s independent teacher commissioner found Jordan Nelson, a hockey coach in the Pembina Trails School Division, engaged in professional misconduct by viewing online profiles of students who were following a team account he was managing on behalf of his school.

“Using information associated with the school’s hockey team account to access and review a student’s social media account, without any legitimate educational or workplace purpose, was inappropriate and inconsistent with the professional boundaries expected of a teacher,” commissioner Noni Classen wrote.

A five-page report, better known as a consent resolution agreement, details agreed-upon facts about an October 2025 incident and subsequent disciplinary action.

It indicates Nelson, a woodworking teacher, logged into a school hockey team social media account between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on October 7.

He was reviewing the profiles of student-athletes and other followers when he ‘liked’ a post made by “Student A” approximately one year earlier. The teacher said he did not ‘like’ the post intentionally nor realize he had done it at the time.

The student’s parent reported the activity to the school, sparking both an internal investigation and school division referral to the commissioner’s office.

“Nelson’s conduct made Student A feel confused and uncomfortable,” the report said.

Nelson was placed on administrative leave and removed from his team manager position.

He was issued a letter of discipline by the school division, was transferred to another school and requested he complete ‘Commit to Kids’ online training.

His teaching certificate, obtained in 2014, will remain in good standing if he takes another course about appropriate student-teacher boundaries and submits a report about his takeaways from it to the commissioner. Classen has given him a Sept. 30 deadline.

She wrote in a summary about her decision that Nelson violated division policy but he could not recall liking Student A’s post and “admitted to ‘going down a rabbit hole’ in scrolling through accounts.”

Pembina Trails will not allow him to manage school accounts in the future without explicit approval from senior administration, Classen noted.

“I always err on the side of caution — it’s always good to keep professional and private life separate,” said Charlie Marks, president of the Manitoba Association of Education Technology Leaders.

For Marks, an IT consultant in a school division, that means never using a personal cellphone to communicate with a student.

All school staff should follow the guidelines set out by their employer, teachers union and school boards association, he said.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society started circulating a guide on modelling professional and ethical online behaviour in 2025 to remind members their reputation is their “most valuable asset.”

It warns teachers not to text a student unless they have parental permission and in that case, to communicate only about school activities during regular work hours.

The document also cautions teachers about venting to colleagues, students or parents online, befriending students on personal accounts and interacting with “questionable accounts.”

Pembina Trails asks staff to defer to their supervisor if they are uncertain if it is appropriate to contact a student through social media.

Stop Educator Child Exploitation, a national advocacy group founded by survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by teachers, is calling for universal rules for all online communication between students and school staff.

“There needs to be a baseline set of rules — it’s like workplace health and safety,” Manitoba representative Max Jenson said.

Jenson touted River East Transcona School Division’s clear expectations as a starting point to develop provincial rules.

The division only approves of contacting students using division-approved platforms, such as a school email or Microsoft Teams account, that are accessible by administration.

Its code of conduct for child protection policy bans texting, instant messaging and social networking with students.

As far as Jenson is concerned, school websites should suffice for posting academic and extracurricular-related information for students and their families.

“You shouldn’t have your students on your social media… It is good there is a firm line being drawn by the commissioner,” Jenson said.

Nelson’s report is the 10th to be finalized since the province launched a professional regulatory system in January 2025. Two of the 10 agreements include incidents involving inappropriate online activity.

The commissioner has the authority to dismiss allegations, enter into a consent resolution agreement that is published online or, in the most egregious situations, schedule a public hearing.

Pembina Trails spokesperson Jason Friesen said in a statement Monday the division is aware of the Aug. 24 agreement and it “speaks for itself.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca