A teacher sacked from prestigious Havelock North boys' school Hereworth will receive $85,600 in compensation after an Employment Court decision finding she was unjustifiably dismissed.
But it is just a third of the $243,647 sought by teacher Emma Fox for just over four years of lost income following her dismissalin January 2010, despite having become what board chairman David Todd calls a "respected member of staff" in her two years at the school.
The dismissal followed a series of events triggered by a disagreement over grades she gave students. The board's decision to fire her had been upheld by the Employment Relations Authority. Her appeal against that decision was heard by the Employment Court a year ago, and an 84-page judgment was delivered to parties this week, although a court registrar said yesterday the judge, Chief Employment Court Judge Graham Colgan, was holding it back from public release pending comment from parties on publication aspects of the decision.
Mr Todd said in a letter to parents that the board has to accept the latest judgment, although the board is "very disappointed" with the court decision. He noted that when the ERA heard the case in 2012 it found in the school's favour and stated Mrs Fox's case failed "in its entirety". "This is the first time Hereworth has ever been involved in an employment dispute and we believe we followed appropriate legal processes in addressing Mrs Fox's concerns," Mr Todd said. "This was supported by the ERA in their finding.
However, the Employment Court disagrees and therefore we have to accept their decision and move on."
Mrs Fox, who moved to Australia with husband Dr Stephen Fox, had said in evidence that in 2009 she was asked by the head of the junior school at Hereworth to alter grades on the previous year's reports.
Hereworth School was formed with a merger of Heretaunga school in Hawke's Bay and Wanganui's Hurworth School in 1927.
