The two students complained after nearly two years of communication and the teacher was taken to the Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal.
Today, the tribunal has published its decision to censure the man and suspend him from teaching for one year.
If he returns to the profession after the suspension he must let any future employer know about the tribunal’s decision and undertake training about professional boundaries.
‘An ass guy’
According to the summary of facts attached to the tribunal’s ruling, the teacher, whose name was suppressed, began messaging a Year 11 girl electronically, venting to her about his personal life and telling her she was a “great listener”.
On one occasion, he told the girl how his wife had gotten “hyped” after watching a sex scene.
He also detailed his fantasies and preferences for women, including telling the girl he was an “ass guy” and preferred an “even distribution”.
The teacher made comments about the student’s cleavage and said she had a body most girls would want.
He also suggested the girl was going to be a sex addict and made numerous comments of a sexual undertone in their late-night communications.
On multiple occasions, he asked her to meet up with him outside of school, including going to the gym, pool or even bowling. All of these invitations were declined.
While the teacher gave the girl and another female student rides home from school, he encouraged her to keep their relationship secret and to lie to anyone who asked about it.
When the relationship broke down the teacher sent her a message saying it was “beyond fked up” that she was ignoring him.
In May 2023, the student made a formal complaint to the school about how the interactions had affected her and how she’d felt “creeped out and disgusted” by the messages.
Another Year 11 student then became the target for late-night messages from the teacher. He questioned their use of pronouns and a decision to change their name.
The teacher asked to see photos of the student in a ball dress, commented on their physical appearance and said that anyone would be lucky to date them.
He also told the student they could talk to him about anything and said, “We don’t keep secrets”.
However, the relationship also broke down and the teacher sent multiple emotionally charged messages to the student, which they did not reply to.
‘Excessive friendships’
A complaints assessment committee (CAC) of the Teachers Council, which levelled the charge against the teacher before the tribunal at a hearing last year, said his behaviour amounted to serious misconduct.
The lawyer representing the CAC, Mark Shaw, said the man’s behaviour impacted the students’ wellbeing, especially given he was in a trusted position as their teacher.
Shaw submitted that the students were vulnerable, blamed themselves for what had happened and felt pressured to confide in the teacher, who went to great lengths to evade detection, indicating he knew the messaging was inappropriate.
In response, the teacher accepted some of the messages he sent were inappropriate and he should have put more boundaries in place, but he was under a great deal of personal stress stemming from his family at the time.
In his submissions, the teacher stated only a small portion of the messages “involved elements remotely touching sexuality” and that was not the focus or intention of the overall communication.
The teacher said there had been “no sexual exploitation” and he’d tried to form “excessive friendships”.
However, that explanation did not convince the tribunal.
“None of his communications with Student A and Student B should have been of a sexual or intimate nature,” the tribunal said in its decision.
Overall, the tribunal found that the teacher’s conduct was unacceptable.
“The tribunal considers the charges reflect on the respondent’s poor understanding of and respect for appropriate behaviours and boundaries with students.
“They show a lack of judgment and insight into their own behaviour. Further, they show a lack of respect by the respondent for his professional obligations.”
The tribunal said the teacher’s behaviour also indicated he had little insight into the impact he had on two vulnerable students.
Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū, covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.