A principal has been charged with behaving in an unprofessional manner amounting to serious misconduct and/or misconduct. An unfaithful principal bullied a female staff member by threatening to have her fired if she exposed their relationship or her pregnancy. The teacher complained to the board of trustees who instructed the principal not to contact her. The principal acted in direct defiance of their instructions and failed to participate in the disciplinary proceedings. The principal also failed to secure and account for school money which was raised through chocolate sales.

The Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal decided that their obligation to protect the public and to uphold the integrity of the profession could be met without requiring the principal to de-register. The Tribunal held that there was a lack of evidence supporting the principal having deliberately bullied the teacher, and that his failure to account for funds was due to mismanagement rather than dishonesty. The Tribunal also took into account that despite the teacher not taking part in disciplinary processes he did attend and fully participate in the Tribunal hearing.

The Tribunal instead censured the principal and gave him a three month suspension. The Tribunal also annotated the register to make reference to their decision and barred him from accepting the position of Principal, Deputy Principal, Head of Department or any other senior managerial position within a school for three years. The Tribunal held that the principal was required to enroll and participate in a refresher course concerning management within schools, and that he pay 50% of the costs of the hearing.

 

Alan Knowsley

Education Lawyer

Wellington