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Teacher Accused of Inappropriate Student Hug in China
22 Jul
Summary
- Teacher Janice Ma faces misconduct allegations at an international school.
- Surveillance video shows an alleged inappropriate hug with a student.
- Social media messages suggest encouragement to lie about the incident.
A disciplinary hearing is underway for Janice Ma, a Manitoba-certified teacher accused of professional misconduct. The allegations stem from an incident last year at Clifford International School in Guangzhou, China, where Ma allegedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a student. Surveillance footage from May 2025 shows Ma hugging a student in a classroom. A former principal testified that the student's explanation for the hug did not align with the visual evidence, and social media messages displayed at the hearing suggested Ma coached the student on how to deceive investigators. Ma, who testified at the hearing, denied the accusations and claimed the social media account was fabricated by the student's mother. This hearing is the first public proceeding by Manitoba's commissioner of teacher professional conduct. The panel is expected to issue a decision within approximately one month.
