The Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal has censured, and ordered the cancellation of a teacher’s registration after the practicing teacher attended a hearing for other traffic offenses and failed to inform the Tribunal, Teacher’s Council, and the Complaints Assessment Committee of a further drink driving conviction.

The Tribunal noted that in the previous hearing the Tribunal had refrained from ordering deregistration by a very fine margin. The Tribunal did not accept the teacher’s argument that she believed the appropriate bodies knew of her most recent conviction and found that she had a statutory obligation to report the conviction so that the Tribunal could take it into account. In failing to do so, the teacher had failed to discharge her professional obligations.

The Tribunal held that in order to uphold their responsibilities to the public and profession, deregistration was required.

 

Alan Knowsley

Employment Lawyer

Wellington