Teacher faces charge for physically getting student back into class

A teacher faces serious misconduct charges before the Teachers' Disciplinary Tribunal. Photo / David Clarkson

A teacher has been charged over his efforts to get a student back into maths class while she wanted to play with a frisbee outside.

Craig Alan Henderson faces two days of hearing before the Teachers' Disciplinary Tribunal in Christchurch over incidents at Westland High School, Hokitika.

He is charged with serious misconduct for one incident where he allegedly threw a rubber at a pupil and struck the student on the head, and another incident where a pupil said he tried to take her spectacles off her and she was led back towards the classroom by the arm.

The hearing is before a panel led by lawyer Theo Baker. Henderson is representing himself but has only been allowed to put questions to the students through the panel.

One student told the court that she and a friend asked if they could go outside because they had nothing to do and were sitting around talking in Henderson's maths class.

Henderson said no, but they were bored and decided to go outside anyway with a frisbee.
She said he also came out and asked if he could play but they knew he was just going to take the frisbee and did not let him have it. He asked them to go inside.

She complained that Henderson then tried several times to take her glasses off her as he backed her into a wall, and then led her towards the classroom by the arm, or pushing on her back.

She said she would take herself into the classroom. She stayed in Henderson's classes afterwards, and made sure she did what she was told.

She told the hearing that she didn't realise at the time how wrong it was, but, after thinking about it, she thought his actions were "not called for".

In his evidence, Henderson told the tribunal that he had "shepherded" the student into a corner and, using the pretence of trying to swipe her glasses, he had taken the frisbee off her. He had then escorted her to the classroom by the arm but she had moved of her own volition.

The student agreed that she had moved "of her own volition".

The hearing will continue on Tuesday. The names of the students are suppressed.