KEY POINTS:
A teacher who lodged a personal grievance claim after complaining that his students bullied him because of anti-Americanism has reached a confidential settlement with the school.
Gregg Smith, 55, who is from the US, began the proceedings against Dannevirke High School after resigning in July.
A confidential settlement
was reached in the Employment Relations Tribunal in Palmerston North yesterday. Mr Smith would not comment, but he has previously claimed the school failed to provide a safe working environment by refusing to address student misbehaviour and instead blaming his own "character flaws".
Dannevirke High principal Mike Tribe said he could not comment but a joint statement would be issued.
Mr Smith has said he was consistently physically and verbally abused by his pupils, which he believed was driven by his American background.
In a separate complaint to the Human Rights Commission, which decided it could not proceed with the case, he claimed he was a victim of xenophobia and a scapegoat for antipathy against US foreign policy.
"I feel under attack for being American. I feel I am being made a scapegoat for American foreign policy which is unpopular with rural New Zealanders."
He said he felt there was "widespread animosity toward me" and "there seemed to be a campaign to get rid of me because I was an American".
Mr Smith had worked at the school for a year and a half after graduating from the Dunedin College of Education and had taught at a university level in the United States.
He said students called him a paedophile, a pervert, a "****ing Yankee" and "gay boy", falsely accused him of looking at students inappropriately, and threatened to beat him up.
He claimed students constantly misbehaved, by throwing water-soaked tampons around the room, pouring Twink on one another's heads and jumping out of windows during examinations.
He believed he was subjected to a co-ordinated letter writing campaign by parents to oust him from the school.
Copies of the letters to the school said the children lacked confidence in the teacher, and parents believed their children were inadequately prepared for NCEA Level One.
Mr Smith is not currently employed at a school. He holds a provisional teaching certificate - which all new teachers remain on for at least two years of supervised teaching experience - which expires at the end of next year.
Dannevirke High deputy principal Mike Ronke said in August Mr Smith's comments had upset several children at the school. "They've been telling staff how upset they are about this situation and asking what can they do about it. They don't like the fact that Mr Smith has slurred their good reputations." additional reporting:
- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY