Teacher who slept with pupil claims she received very little training on 'boundary issues'

An application by Allen for name suppression was declined by the tribunal. Photo / iStock

A female teacher who slept with a male student claimed she was a first-year teacher who received very little training about "boundary issues".

Kelsey Rebekah Allen was a newly-graduated physical education and health teacher at Morrinsville College in Waikato last year when she started a relationship with an 18-year-old student.

Allen, then 22, had a relationship that involved kissing, oral sex and sexual intercourse.

It started when Allen started counselling the student, the New Zealand Teachers' Disciplinary Tribunal heard.

The pair were eventually outed by the student's jilted school-aged girlfriend.

The tribunal censured Allen and stripped her teacher registration.

A decision by the tribunal, out today, said Allen has taken full responsibility and accepted her actions were "foolish and inappropriate".

She has since undertaken professional counselling for "the boundary issue" and dealing with stressful life situations.

While Allen accepted there was "no excuse" for her actions, she said in affidavits filed to the tribunal that she had "received very little training regarding boundary issues" at both university and teachers college.

Allen claimed that at a first-year teacher she was under "immense pressure" with responsibilities for various roles and had "battled attention from male students at school".

She described an incident in which a photograph had been posted to a social network site of her walking with male Year 13 students with a caption of "Me and My Girl".

Allen reported it to the school and the tribunal said "it appears to have been dealt with appropriately".

The tribunal were earlier shown examples of some of the thousands of intimate texts sent by Allen to the student between August and November last year.

"Of course I was going to fall for you.. Why wouldn't I! You're incredible you are so hot.. Every time I see you I just wanna kiss you and take your clothes off," one text said.

"...[you're] the cutest sleeper! You made little noises.. How do you know me so well it's been like a couple of months."

Morrinsville College principal John Inger took "serious exception" to suggestions that the school had not provided Allen with an adequate level of support in regards to maintaining appropriate boundaries with students.

The tribunal agreed, saying the school had provided the young, inexperienced teacher with an appropriate level of mentoring and guidance.

It cancelled Allen's teaching registration but noted that she could reapply in the future.
An application by Allen for name suppression was declined by the tribunal.