Shocking allegations against Queensland teachers suspended this year

Inappropriate touching in a pool, engaging in a romantic relationship with a student and locking students in a storage room as punishment are among the allegations against teachers suspended this year.

A Queensland teacher allegedly allowed young girls to touch him “inappropriately” in a swimming pool, and another allegedly locked students in a storage room as punishment, court documents against suspended teachers have revealed.

Documents lodged by the Queensland College of Teachers showed at least 10 teachers had fronted the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal so far this year.

The public documents revealed six of the teachers’ registrations had been suspended, two cancelled and three other registrations were reprimanded or prohibited by the state’s regulatory authority.

Teachers found guilty can have their registrations cancelled and are excluded from the profession while suspended teachers are reviewed by QCAT.

One of the teachers was suspended on June 13 for allegedly allowing female students to “climb on him and touch him in a swimming pool”.

The man, who has been a teacher since 2008, had been investigated following alleged misconduct towards several female students.

It’s alleged the teacher wrote a personal letter titled “To my lovely lady” to a female student and permitted female students to sit on his lap, hug him and play with his hair.

“During a school camp involving Year 4 students, (he) is alleged to have permitted female students to climb on him and touch him in the swimming pool,” the document read.

“He’s alleged to have engaged in inappropriate physical contact with them in the pool.

“(He) is also alleged to have sat on a wooden bench while watching a movie so that he was close to a female student so that their bodies were touching and held hands with the student after the movie while walking back to the cabins.”

Another teacher had their registration suspended on May 18 after she allegedly locked students in a storage room, and on one occasion turned the lights off and held the door closed.

The document alleged the woman closed the door on the students as a behaviour management strategy.

It’s further alleged the teacher swore at students and used names like b***h, f*****t and w***e.

As part of her submissions, the teacher said she was “deeply offended” and denied the allegations.

Another who had been a teacher for two years had his registration suspended on January 13 for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a female student.

The document alleged the teacher had acknowledged he had a “romantic” relationship with the 16-year-old while as a “facilitator” of a school camp.

The teacher said he “thought she was older” and that he made some “poor choices” in engaging the alleged romantic relationship.

According to the College’s 2021 annual report, 95 teachers were suspended from 2019 to 2021 for alleged serious offences or being identified as an unacceptable risk.