Dunedin school coy over sex claims against teacher after resignation

A school board has commented on a matter in Dunedin, as has the ministry. Photo / Getty Images

Allegations of a Dunedin secondary school teacher having a sexual relationship with a pupil are neither accurate nor complete, the school's board of trustees chairwoman says.

The school sent a notice to parents yesterday, confirming the teacher had resigned, but there had been "some discussion in the community in relation to this matter".

Several sources told the Otago Daily Times the teacher had allegedly had a sexual relationship with a pupil, and was caught in the act.

When asked about the allegations, the school's board of trustees chairwoman said the information provided was "neither complete nor accurate".

She confirmed one of the teaching staff had recently resigned, and said the board and school management were working alongside the Ministry of Education and the Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ to ensure compliance with all obligations as a school on a professional conduct matter.

"Our responsibilities as an employer prevent us from making any further public comment.

"We request that you respect the statutory processes in place and are considerate of the well-being and safety of all members of our community, including our staff and students at this time."

Ministry of Education sector enablement and support deputy secretary Katrina Casey said the school had notified the ministry about the matter but declined to say what the matter was.

"The school board is following the correct procedures, and we are here to provide support if needed.

"As is required when any alleged issue is raised about a person with a teaching registration, the board is required to inform the Teaching Council.

A Teaching Council spokeswoman said the council recently received notification of "an allegation relating to the teacher in question", and staff were considering the information received.

"This is standard procedure for managing concerns about a teacher's conduct or competence that come to our attention.

"We are unable to provide further information on the details of the notification. The process is confidential and the council is subject to the Privacy Act."

She said managing concerns about a teacher's conduct or competence was just one of the roles the council played as the professional body for teachers.

"Concerns come to us in a variety of ways, including mandatory reports from schools or early childhood centres, reports of a criminal conviction, or complaints from parents or others.

"If there are immediate concerns about the safety of children, we ask a teacher to give a written undertaking not to teach while the issue is being dealt with.

"If the teacher won't agree, the Disciplinary Tribunal can order a temporary suspension from teaching.

"Concerns about a teacher's conduct may be referred to the Complaints Assessment Committee (CAC) for investigation and consideration.

"The CAC can in turn, refer cases to the Disciplinary Tribunal, and must do so where a case involves possible serious misconduct."

Both were independent panels and had a range of actions they could take after considering a case, she said.

These included investigating further (CAC only), censure, placement of conditions on practising certificates, suspension of practising certificates, annotations on the Teachers' Register, referral to impairment process, no further action, or cancellation of teachers registration (Disciplinary Tribunal only).