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Tribunal orders special needs teacher to undergo anger management course…

A special needs teacher has resigned after aggressively spitting in the face of a 5 year old student with Down’s Syndrome.

The Teacher’s Disciplinary Tribunal censured the teacher for serious misconduct, and ordered the censure to be annotated to the teacher’s register. The Tribunal also suspended the teacher’s practising certificate pending the successful completion of an anger management course.

Despite the violent episode having an adverse effect on the student, the Tribunal considered that deregistration was not required to protect the public and the profession. The teacher was unlikely to repeat the behaviour, had acknowledged her wrongdoing, and had a long unblemished career. Most importantly, the teacher was not teaching at the time of the judgment, and her practising certificate was due to expire within a few weeks.