Katherine Rich MP
National Party Education Spokeswoman

18 July 2007

Minister back-peddles over support of porn-site teacher

It is no wonder that the Education Minister is distancing himself from the recent decision of the Teachers Council Disciplinary Tribunal to allow a teacher who posted hard-core pornographic pictures of himself and two women on internet sex sites to continue teaching, says National’s Education spokeswoman Katherine Rich.

“The decision is utterly indefensible.

“I understand the Teachers Council must sometimes adjudge extremely challenging disciplinary cases, but most teachers and parents will not agree with the decision to allow this art teacher to continue to teach.

“Those who take the time to read the full judgment will be disturbed by the facts of this case, which include publishing hardcore pornographic images on the web and advertising for new participants ‘the younger the better’.

“The Tribunal accepted that this material was potentially accessible by ‘past, present and future students’ and wrote that ‘We have little doubt that members of the public would be disconcerted to know that a teacher who behaved in the way described in the agreed statement of facts was teaching in a New Zealand school. That, however, does not seem to be the real point here.’

“But that is exactly the point. The Teachers Council’s argument that this is about what technically constitutes misconduct or serious misconduct is lost on parents who are simply horrified that this teacher could be in a classroom today.

“The Minister says this teacher is no longer teaching, but how can he be sure when thousands of teachers are not tracked by the Teachers Council after they have been censured.

“The unprecedented decision of two of the five tribunal members to challenge this decision by issuing a minority report is telling. It is worrying indeed that they believe that the behaviour of this teacher ‘adversely affects, or is likely to adversely affect, the well being or learning of one or more students and which reflects adversely on the teacher’s fitness to be a teacher’.

“Steve Maharey stood up in Parliament today and endorsed a review of the Teachers Council Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision-making processes, but neglected to ‘fess up that it was his Labour Government that put the structures in place that led to this dodgy decision.

“I support the Teachers Council in its duty to oversee disciplinary decisions, but if it continues to issue indefensible decisions such as this one, it will undermine public confidence.”

ENDS

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