Waikato school board fires teacher over alleged serious misconduct, then resigns

“Each of us as volunteers find it disappointing and distressing that our well-intentioned actions have led to threats and accusations of racism.”

They said the school’s board meeting on Wednesday was attended by staff and community members who demanded “the full resignation of the board and the full reinstatement of the dismissed staff.”

“We collectively stand by our decision to suspend a teacher for serious misconduct for an (Out of Class Education) trip with both Tuakau College and Onewhero District School U15 Rugby teams as a result of the meeting where the board agreed the details should be kept confidential.”

Education Outside the Classroom It is part of the national curriculum and the Department for Education has a website with guidelines for schools detailing the policies and procedures they should follow.

Board members said the teacher was dismissed for serious misconduct, the details of which remained secret for legal reasons.

They said he was a highly respected member of society.

“The easy decision would have been to ignore it, but we do not believe it would be ethical, safe or legal and would come at a cost to student safety, and we were not prepared to accept it.

“While news of our resignation delighted those who attended our board meeting on Wednesday night, we are devastated that things have come to this point as we acted with the best intentions to uphold the law and the teaching code of conduct. to protect the welfare of our students.

“As board members, we have been trained in governance and understand our roles and responsibilities to our students and staff.

“We think it is important to reiterate that where serious concerns are raised about the behavior of staff, appropriate action is taken. The initial investigation was conducted by the then principal.”

The school’s principal, Rebecca Bills, resigned in mid-October.

Board members said the teacher’s termination followed a labor dispute process in which the principal determined the concerns were “sufficiently serious in nature” and the matter was referred to the board.

They said the board asked for advice New Zealand School Boards AssociationWe then engaged an independent employment lawyer to conduct the investigation and report the findings. Based on these, the teacher was dismissed.

They said that the Ministry of National Education also supported their decision.

“We believe there needs to be a comprehensive investigation by the Department of Education into how the school got to this point where student achievement, safety and well-being are not at the center of leadership, decision-making and advocacy.

“We are also concerned that a lack of focus on what is best for students is leading to agitation and apathy, and increasing concerns about student behavior at such a critical time of year for our senior students.”

In response, the Ministry of Education said that they were aware of the problems.

“The Department is aware that concerns were raised at a community meeting on Wednesday night. However, we were not aware that the board had resigned until this (Friday) afternoon.

“We will meet with the school first thing on Monday to determine whether they require further support. Our top priority will be to ensure there is minimal disruption to teaching and learning.”

-RNZ

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