A teacher who made inappropriate comments of a sexualised nature to students has been censured by the Teaching Council.

Jason Robert Morgan’s comments, which were hypothetical sex questions and attempts at banter with his students, amounted to “serious misconduct” in the eyes of the tribunal.

Morgan was working as a science teacher and a boarding house assistant when a mandatory report on his comments landed on the desk of the Teaching Council.

Two Year 10 students had reported Morgan to the school’s boarding director, claiming he had made inappropriate comments to and in front of students. The school launched an employment investigation, and Morgan voluntarily resigned.

The comments were made to students who were boarding at the school, and were part of what was known as “thought of the day”.

“Thought of the day” was used by Morgan to settle the students before bedtime, with the aim of keeping the conversation low-energy.

During these conversations, he would ask the students questions about sexual hypotheticals like: “Would you have regular sex with a 7 out of 10 or have a one-night stand with a 9 out of 10?” or “Would you sleep with an absolute 10 out of 10 if she was crazy as?”

One student recalled Morgan asking: “How long would you wait to have sex with a dead girl?”

Morgan apologised to one student after making a sexual comment about their mother in an attempt at banter, and during a discussion about hunting, Morgan said: “Be careful, you Gissy boys don’t f*** them [goats].”

The Teacher’s Disciplinary Tribunal called Morgan’s comments “unacceptable”, especially because they were made to students at a boarding house.

“Their isolation from home and the degree of control and influence that the respondent exerted, in our view, heightened the inappropriateness of the behaviour.”

It said the subject matter would have led to “embarrassment, caused confusion, and possibly triggered ridicule of the students from peers who overheard the comments”.

The tribunal described the comments as “obviously highly inappropriate and sexualised”.

“We consider that these kinds of comments would have shocked people, especially parents of children of this age.

“They were made to impressionable learners who were entrusted into the respondent’s care by their parents.”

Morgan was censured and ordered to pay $1455 in costs.

Now living a ‘healthier’ lifestyle away from ‘destructive’ habits

Morgan’s teaching licence in New Zealand expired in 2024, and he now teaches at a school in Brisbane, Australia.

In his response to the tribunal, Morgan accepted he may have made the comments, but denied swearing.

He accepted that he had brought the profession into disrepute and said he was “deeply sorry” for what he had done.

Morgan said he had “personal traits” that were “destructive”, ultimately leading to him making the comments.

Since the time he made the comments, Morgan now felt he could identify triggers and had made “significant changes” to his life, living a “healthier lifestyle”.

“He has lost a significant amount of weight, and he believes he has changed as a whole person. This desire to change was one of the main reasons why he moved to Australia.”

He said teachers in Australia undertake regular behavioural training, which he felt had been beneficial to him, helping him understand and modify his behaviour.

“He said he thought in the past he was being helpful, but realises now that his behaviour was doing the opposite.”

Morgan had begun coaching sports again and ensures he works with others rather than doing it solo.

He said he had been open with his new Australian employers, who were fully aware of the disciplinary proceedings.

He also used his experience to write resource material to give back to the profession.

“He is fully aware that his behaviour was poor, but has worked hard to understand his behaviour and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“He knows that he wants to continue to be a teacher and is committed to making the necessary changes to be able to do that.”

The Tribunal said it was “impressed” at the efforts Morgan had undertaken to change himself.

It said he was clearly remorseful and was taking “clear and meaningful steps to try to remedy the character flaws that led to his behaviour”.