Dozens of Queensland teachers have been struck off for inappropriate behaviour

Dozens of badly behaving Queensland teachers have been struck off since last year, with experts warning the pandemic has led to a heightened risk of “blurred lines” with students. SEE THE LIST.

A teacher accused of awarding a student an ‘A’ in exchange for revealing photos is one of dozens of Queensland educators struck off last year for committing serious offences or posing a dangerous risk to their pupils.

The Courier-Mail can reveal since the beginning of 2020 the Queensland College of Teachers has taken action against 42 teachers, with 29 struck off in 2019 and 21 in 2018.

Many were accused of engaging in sexual or intimate relationships with current or former students, including one 34-year-old sports coach who exchanged more than 44,000 iMessages with a student over nine months.

Already this year the QCT – the body which oversees Queensland teacher registrations – has taken action against nine teachers, with experts claiming the move to online learning during COVID-19 lockdowns has led to a heightened risk of “blurred lines” between teachers and students.

One of the recent cases reviewed by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal involved a Queensland teacher busted for texting three former students sexual images.

The teacher was also found to have engaged in sexual conversations with the students, discussing drugs, alcohol and steroids, and accepting an invitation to meet one of the students.

Forty-two teachers have been struck off since 2018.

Another teacher was accused of awarding a student an ‘A’ in exchange for her sending him revealing photos via Snapchat, and posting “love heart eyes” emojis on Instagram photos of the student wearing a bikini,

One teacher, who was 26 at the time of the offending, was accused of having sex at the home of a 16-year-old student while her father was at work, with their communication initiated over Instagram and Snapchat.

Cyber safety expert and former police officer Susan McLean said she predicted the number of inappropriate student-teacher relationships would continue to “get worse”, with the increased use of social media opening the door to a jump in predatory behaviour.

She said teachers faced strict rules about communicating with students online, and more explicit teaching training on social media boundaries was crucial.

“Parents should tell their kids – if ever a teacher or another adult starts to talk with you through electronic communications, you have to tell someone,” she said.

“That any teacher would think it is OK to communicate with a student online is stupid – even if they claim they had no “ill-intent” so to speak, it’s forbidden.”

Cybersafety expert and former police officer Susan McLean.

Ms McLean also said online learning practices had “normalised” cyber interactions between students and teachers, but there was little need for there to be personal interactions outside school.

QCT director Deanne Fishburn said the body must “suspend a teacher’s registration or Permission to Teach if the teacher is charged with a serious offence”.

Queensland Teachers’ Union president Cresta Richardson said there was no official legislation which determined an “appropriate time period to engage in relationships with students post school” in the state.

“The QTU believes in child safety and it is paramount,” she said,

“We offer legal seminars throughout the state that cover a wide range of topics that relate to student safety and teacher professionalism.”

Other cases to be heard by QCAT recently included a female teacher allegedly groping a colleague at an end-of-drinks, though her suspension was ultimately overturned.

BADLY BEHAVING TEACHERS

CASE 1: A male teacher was alleged to have engaged in inappropriate electronic communications with three former students. Messages to the students purportedly contained references to drugs, alcohol and steroids, and also included intimate and sexual communications, and the exchange of sexual images. The teacher also accepted an invitation to meet with one of the former students.

CASE 2: A female teacher allegedly groped a female colleague at a nightclub while severely intoxicated following end-of-term drinks. Charges were laid but then later dropped when the colleagues attended mediation. The teacher’s suspension was overturned.

CASE 3: A male teacher engaged with inappropriate interactions with a student over texts, including sending sexually explicit messages and saying he wanted to have sex with the student.

CASE 4: Teacher allegedly awarded a student an ‘A’ grade in a subject after she sent revealing photos of herself, despite the student not completing the required assessment. The teacher also allegedly sent images of himself with a tablet on his tongue, purporting it to be ecstasy, and left “wow” and “love heart eyes” emojis on photos on the student’s Instagram.

CASE 5: A 26-year old male teacher allegedly engaged in sex with a 16-year-old student, after initiating communication over Instagram and Snapchat. The teacher allegedly had sex on numerous occasions with the student at her home while her father was at work.