Waikato school board fires teacher, resigns over serious misconduct allegation

Photograph: RNZ/Nick Monroe

Board members at a North Waikato school say they have been forced to resign following their decision to fire a teacher for alleged serious misconduct during the under-15 rugby team’s trip.

Four parent representatives on the Onewhero Regional School board in Tuakau said in a letter to the school community on Friday that they stood by their decision to dismiss the teacher and were resigning with immediate effect.

They also said they were threatened, accused of racism and endured months of scrutiny.

“By its nature, serious misconduct must be serious and, based on the information we have received – despite intense pressure and very personal attacks – we cannot in good conscience reinstate these staff members as teachers in our school.” they said.

“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.”

“As a result of the meeting the governing body agreed, 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, details of which should be kept confidential.”

Education Outside the Classroom is part of the national curriculum and the Ministry of 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 of Governors meeting on Wednesday night, we are devastated that things have come to this, as we acted with the best intentions of upholding the law and the teaching code of conduct to protect the welfare of our students.

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

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

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 sought advice from the New Zealand School Boards Association, then appointed an independent employment lawyer to conduct the investigation and report on 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 full 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, disengagement and increased 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 Ministry 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 contact the school first thing on Monday to determine what further support they require. Our top priority will be to ensure there is minimal disruption to teaching and learning.”

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