It is easy to understand how upset John Greene must be that his son was attacked by a Rotorua Boys' High School teacher - the more so that the boy is an epileptic.
The attack has been admitted by the teacher, Robert Warner, who appeared in court, undertook an anger management
course and was given police diversion.
Naturally the matter was also to become one for his employers.
As a result of an in-house investigation Mr Warner was found to have committed serious misconduct.
It is this newspaper's understanding that the outcome of that was Mr Warner was stripped of his Year 12 deanship and removed as teacher representative from the school's board of trustees but permitted to remain on the staff.
All the school will say on the matter is that it has acted appropriately and followed the correct processes.
But without the facts of the proceedings surrounding Mr Warner's disciplinary hearing being laid out for scrutiny, neither Mr Greene nor the public are able to ascertain if this is indeed the case.
Certainly, Mr Greene remains dissatisfied. He wants Mr Warner suspended until the matter is dealt with by the disciplinary body of the teachers' council.
Meanwhile, there is a groundswell of support for Mr Warner from both fellow staff members and Boys' High parents.
Their consensus is that it would be inappropriate for Mr Warner to be censured further.
His champions point out that the normally mild-mannered Mr Warner is deeply remorseful.
In his defence it is claimed he acted out of character, provoked by an exchange involving his own children and a threat from Mr Greene's son to defecate on his lawn.
Like every allegation, this is one that is doubled-sided.
Rotorua Boys' High School has cited the Privacy Act in not disclosing the full facts of the matter, but the public has a right to ask for full justification of its stance.
Surely further disclosure of the events surrounding this extraordinary event can occur without gross breach of the privacy of the people involved.
- JILL NICHOLAS
