Former Coral Harbour, Nunavut, teacher acquitted of assault charge

A former teacher in Coral Harbour, Nunavut, who was on trial for allegedly assaulting a student has been acquitted. 

Michelle Wolf was charged with one count of assault after an incident at Sakku School in 2023. 

At her one-day trial in the community last month, the court heard that Wolf pulled a student by their sweatshirt when they were running around the classroom with another student to get them to stop. 

The student's identity is protected under a mandatory publication ban because they are underage. 

Wolf told the court she called in the hallway for some help, but no one came. She then pulled one of the students by their hoodie to get them to stop. 

That student then complained to the principal and later filed a report with RCMP. 

Wolf said she pulled the student by the waist of their hoodie and held on for about half a second, while student testified that Wolf held on for longer, and that she pulled them by their hood. 

In a decision released Thursday, Justice Mia Manocchio said she believed Wolf's testimony and that she did what was reasonable to stop the situation. 

"I am satisfied that Ms. Wolf's actions on the date in question in May 2023 were done for corrective purposes and were reasonable under the circumstances," Manocchio wrote.