A Northland high school teacher who feared for his family's safety after a cyber-bullying attack has called for a stop to internet scare mongering.
Lindsay Dunn, deputy principal of Tikipunga High School in Whangarei, said constructive criticism, not unsubstantiated allegations, would help teachers - or anyone for that matter - to improve their skills.
He supported concerns this week by New Zealand Teachers' Council director Dr Peter Lind that defamatory online attacks against teachers risked damaging the teacher's credibility and reputation for the sake of a student joke or personal vendetta.
"False accusations made against teachers have the potential of causing a lot of damage, particularly when the postings influence members of the public to question the teacher's actions," Dr Lind said.
Mr Dunn was targeted in a widely distributed malicious email after working at Christchurch Boys' High School in November 2009.
The email - sent to at least 50 people, including staff at 26 schools - questioned his skills and made potentially libellous allegations.
Mr Dunn has still not been able to identify the culprit, and his past and present employers believe the email carried a bogus name.
"I was upset that someone would be so gutless to do that sort of thing without having the temerity to talk to me," he said.
"Here was a Maori male who had gone to a school and built a Maori department there [Christchurch Boys High]."
Mr Dunn said a powhiri to welcome him was only the second in the history of the school.
"I was really concerned about the safety of my family then because they were in Christchurch.
"People need to get their facts right."
Dr Lind said the potential for defamatory attacks on the internet to result in a complaint from a concerned member of the public was real.
The council took all complaints seriously and it would be extremely unfortunate to investigate a teacher who had been the victim of false claims, he said.
The council's conduct processes were in place to protect children and young people from serious misconduct by teachers.
"The safety of students is the Council's greatest concern, but we must also protect teachers against false claims about inappropriate conduct," Dr Lind added.
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