Former St. James teacher disciplined after setting student’s hands on fire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A former teacher from St. James was disciplined by the State Board of Education after he allegedly set the hands of a student on fire in 2022.
A February agenda item for the State Board of Education says Tyler James Glidden – who was a math teacher at St. James High School – “attempted to demonstrate a science experiment by pouring hand sanitizer onto a student’s hands, and lit it on fire.”
Documents in the settlement with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education say Glidden used hand sanitzer that was in the room during his math class and “borrowed a contraband lighter from a different student to light the hand sanitizer on fire.”
The student allegedly suffered first- and second-degree burns and Glidden did not report the incident to school administration, filings show.
The incident occurred on Dec. 2, 2022, and the student showed Glidden the burns they suffered on Dec. 5, 2022.
Glidden was ordered to surrender his teaching certificate, which appeared to have expired in June 2025. He also held a substitute certification that expired in 2024.
ABC 17 News has reached out to the St. James school district.
