According to a decision released today, one of her students was 17 years old when she started showing a special interest in him.
She and her then husband applied to become the teen’s caregiver, after an approach by his social worker shortly before he finished school. The application was then revised so his teacher was the sole caregiver on the form.
The teacher sought advice from senior managers, who “strongly discouraged the application and asked her to seriously consider the possible negative impacts of such a commitment on her and her family’s wellbeing”.
However, despite explicit advice, the woman persisted with the application and became the teen’s caregiver, which enabled him to be bailed to her address by the courts.
Within months of moving in, the pair had begun a sexual relationship. While he was no longer a student, he was still in his teens. She was 35 years old and soon became pregnant.
Several months later, the teen was transferred to a youth justice facility. When the woman attempted to visit him there, their relationship became apparent and the school was notified.
The school then made a referral to the Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal, which held a hearing in May this year where the teacher was charged with serious misconduct.
Age difference, power imbalance, vulnerability
In a ruling released today, the tribunal has now ordered the woman’s teaching registration to be cancelled.
The tribunal said that the nature of the school and the fact the student was involved in the youth justice system, coupled with his age, legal status and the inherent power imbalance between them, suggested he was especially vulnerable.
It found he “was receiving schooling outside of the mainstream with a presumed disrupted educational journey, and he appears to have lacked whānau caregiver options”.
“The importance of setting and maintaining appropriate boundaries is arguably greater where students are under state care or otherwise vulnerable, such as where they have experienced trauma, educational barriers and/or have other social and familial challenges.”
The tribunal said the teacher showed poor professional judgment when she applied to be her student’s caregiver and when she chose to enter into a relationship with him.
“Further, we find that the respondent’s decision to enter into a sexual relationship was inappropriate, notwithstanding [the student] was by then a former student.”
The tribunal noted there was a short time between the student finishing school, moving in with his former teacher then beginning a sexual relationship with her.
According to the decision, the pair remain in a relationship.
‘Serious misconduct against a vulnerable young person’
Central Regional Health School principal Jason White told NZME the school was in a privileged position to provide education to those with high health needs and those in the care of Oranga Tamariki.
After becoming aware of the relationship management, he met with the teacher and she confirmed the allegations.
He said her employment was then terminated.
“We are pleased to see that the Teaching Council have upheld our finding of serious misconduct,” White said.
“I want to express my thanks to our staff, who were deeply impacted by this incident and who participated in the three-year process by the Teachers Council to ensure that this serious misconduct against a vulnerable young person was fully investigated and appropriate disciplinary action was taken.”
White said that since the incident the school had reviewed its site induction and support processes and staff were aware of the privileged position they’re in, as well as the school’s expectations of them.
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.