Teacher not guilty of serious misconduct for synced photos...

The Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal has found a teacher not guilty of serious misconduct after he accidentally synced his personal device with a school iPad.  This resulted in a student seeing personal photos and being able to read a sexually suggestive message to him from his partner.

The student reported the matter to the Principal, who had the iPad analysed.  It was found that the teacher had not downloaded the images and it was a result of the syncing.

Despite the teacher not deliberately downloading the images (of the teacher fully clothed cuddling his partner) the Teaching Council Complaints Assessment Committee (CAC) charged him with serious misconduct.

The Disciplinary Tribunal found that the matter was a mistake which did not amount to serious or any misconduct.

Not satisfied with failing to get a finding of misconduct the CAC opposed the teacher’s name being suppressed.  Luckily the Tribunal ordered it should not be published as the charges had not been made out.

For the CAC to have charged the teacher and then, when unsuccessful, tried to shame him by publication of his name seems perverse.

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Alan Knowsley