SA teacher Rikki barred from working in public schools after making complaint and receiving $60k compensation

A teacher agreed not to work in public schools for three years after she received a settlement from the Education Department. But after that time has elapsed, her application has still been rejected.

A South Australian educator has been barred from teaching in public schools after she reported abuse at an Eyre Peninsula school and received $60,000 in compensation from the Education Department.

The teacher, Rikki, 57, took up a year-long contract to work at Wudinna Area School in 2020 but her time was cut short due to bullying from staff, she said.

While at the school, Rikki said she was on the receiving end of a tirade of abuse which lasted several minutes, with a staff member telling her that “you need to pull your f***ing head in and get with the f***ing program”.

The abuse, Rikki said, occurred in front of a co-worker.

Later that year while on school camp in Term 3 at Gawler Ranges National Park, she had a run in with a parent who Rikki said offered a student to enter her private accommodation.

Rikki recalled telling the parent what she did was inappropriate.

But the mood changed at the school after the incident and multiple complaints from other parents followed, she said.

“It doesn’t take much in a small community when they know each other and they’re all friends,” Rikki said.

Rikki has been unable to work in government schools since the settlement was reached.

In November that year, Rikki left the school and entered negotiations for a settlement for psychological injury with the Education Department early in 2021.

“It’s a devastating experience to go through and I thought about leaving teaching altogether,” she said.

“There’s a lot of anxiety just about the thought of going back into a school.”

As a result of the settlement, Rikki agreed not to work in public schools for three years, a period of time which has since elapsed.

Last week, when Rikki applied to be reinstated in the Employable Teacher Register (ETR), necessary for working short term contacts in public schools, her application was rejected.

The letter she received did not give a reason for the rejection and noted that review avenues to appeal the decision were not available.

Since leaving Wudinna Area School, she has taken short term contract work at Catholic and independent schools.

An Education Department spokeswoman said it would “not be appropriate for the department to comment in relation to any specific application”.

Applicants must also complete a pre-employment declaration, which can be used by the Education Department to determine an applicant’s suitability.

The process can also include a review by a panel to consider information that warrants further consideration.

The panel may consider factors including “the risk to the reputation of the department, the public sector and/or the government”, the spokeswoman said.

The Education Department received 6356 applications for the ETR and Employable Ancillary Register in 2023 and of those, 0.5 per cent were not approved.

There are currently more than 9000 teachers on the ETR.