Teacher appeals potential suspension after escaping conviction: reports

A teacher who was discharged without conviction after being charged with criminal offences is now appealing to the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal to avoid suspension, according to reports.

The educator, whose identity and offence remain suppressed, appeared before the tribunal last week to contest potential disciplinary action following charges that amounted to serious misconduct, The New Zealand Herald reported.

During the hearing, the teacher told the tribunal her desire to remain a teacher, as well as the potential financial burden on her if she is suspended.

"I love teaching and suspension would devastate me," she said as quoted by the Herald. "I can't afford a suspension. Financially, I can't afford it."

According to the Herald's report, the woman escaped conviction on the charges against her two years ago after the judge noted that the consequences would have been disproportionate to the gravity of her offence.

The teacher is now in a new job in a different part of the country, and she told the tribunal that her new employer was aware of her background and was fully supportive of her.

Censure sought

The teacher's legal representative further argued that a penalty like suspension was unnecessary, citing a similar case where censure was deemed sufficient.

The representative also pointed out that the teacher had engaged in counselling and had been an "exemplary teacher" in recent years.

"She is not going to do anything to jeopardise herself now," the representative said, as quoted by The Herald.

The counsel for the prosecution, Jessica Ah Koy, has been calling for a penalty that would appropriately reflect the gravity of the original misconduct.

Non-publication order sought

Ah Koy also opposed a non-publication order, as the teacher's name was already disclosed from the earlier court proceedings.

A representative from the school where the teacher is currently employed, however, said a name suppression was needed to protect the school's reputation.

According to the representative, it was possible that the case was not widely known, further pointing out that the case happened in a different region.

The Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal will deliver its ruling on the case at a later date, according to the New Zealand Herald.