Teacher Rohan Davis barred from classroom for abusing Victorian Institute of Teaching staff

A Victorian teacher investigated over allegations he twice pushed a student has instead been banned for unleashing a campaign of abuse against regulators carrying out the probe.

A teacher has been barred from the classroom for abusing Victorian Institute of Teaching staff. Picture: Supplied

A teacher has been barred from the classroom after a prolonged fight with the education regulator, during which he repeatedly called its staff “f--kwits”, “losers” and “d--kheads”.

The educator, Rohan Davis, has been deemed unsuitable to be a teacher, not because of a 2022 physical altercation he had with students, but due to his treatment of officers from the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT).

The altercation with a student occurred in 2022 and involved Mr Davis telling a 14-year-old in class to “shut up” and pushing him twice with force.

However, a two-person Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal panel ruled Mr Davis’ behaviour while being investigated by VIT in 2023 and 2024 led to his denial of registration as a teacher, not the incident itself.

Among a long list of grievances, deputy president Ian Proctor and VCAT member Paul Gysslink noted Mr Davis even pretended to be a VIT worker, gaining access to its premises with a bogus security lanyard in December 2023.

Mr Davis pretended to be a VIT worker. Picture: Supplied

Mr Davis regularly and repeatedly called the regulator’s staff “f--kwits”, “c--ts”, “d--kheads”, “liars”, “idiots”, “deceitful”, “nasty” and “losers”, and would regularly tell them to “f--k off” and “go jump in the lake”.

He baselessly accused VIT staff, along with those from the Commission for Children and Young People and the Department of Education, of fabrication, “laundering” evidence and acting like criminals and drug dealers.

He also posted a number of videos on Instagram denigrating the VIT and calling it “the world’s worst professional organisation”, at one point including an offensive depiction of Winne the Pooh.

The tribunal said Mr Davis “went beyond reasonable” when he said VIT staff “sh-t

the bed, pooed the bed, spanked”.

Mr Davis admitted in a hearing this year his behaviour was not appropriate.

Throughout the prolonged investigation process, Mr Davis made his dislike of the VIT very clear.

He said: “I hate VIT. I hate what they’ve done to the teaching profession. I hate the way that they treat teachers. I hate the way that they treated my mate when he got arrested in front of his wife when she was pregnant.”

He excused his behaviour by saying: “That’s what happens when they treat people like this”.

The ruling makes it clear Mr Davis’ diagnosis of ADHD in May 2022 is “in no way relied on as a basis” for refusing his registration.

Rather, Mr Gysslink concludes Mr Davis’ “unacceptable conduct leads us to conclude that it is not in the public interest that at this time Mr Davis regained registration as a teacher”.

They called his behaviour “highly concerning” but said he may be able to return to teaching in the future if there was no more inappropriate conduct, noting his “strengths as well as his shortcomings”.

Originally published as Teacher Rohan Davis barred from classroom for abusing Victorian Institute of Teaching staff