Former Coomera State School and Coombabah State School teacher Letitia Jane Porche loses appeal against dismissal

A Gold Coast teacher has lost an appeal against her dismissal after a series of complaints, including that she had yelled at students and failed to notice children missing from class.

A Gold Coast teacher dismissed for yelling at students, leaving class to heat up food and using her phone during lessons has lost her appeal.

Letitia Jane Porche was dismissed from her job at Coombabah State School in June 2019. Ms Porche had previously worked as a Year 1 teacher at Coomera State School, starting in January 2015, where similar accusations were levelled.

In a judgment published by the Industrial Court of Queensland it was said that during term 3 in 2015 and term 1 the following year Coomera school management received “various reports from teaching staff, parents and students” about Ms Porche.

The reports included allegations that Ms Porche:

* Was leaving the classroom to go and heat up food and eating it during teaching time.

* Yelled at students.

* Refused permission for a student to go to the toilet, after which he wet himself.

* Failed to notice children missing from her class.

Ms Porche was also alleged to have turned up at the school on a day off in February 2016 without telling the other classroom teacher, disturbing the class and prompting principal Chris McMillan to ask her to leave the school.

Coomera State School on the Gold Coast.

An “unsatisfactory performance process” was begun by the school in March 2016. Mr McMillan and Deputy Principal Shiree Salazar were “not satisfied with Ms Porche’s further performance” so in November she was notified that Stage 2 of the process would commence.

Ms Porche was unable to work for the remainder of 2016 and was on sick leave for the whole of the 2017 school year, the judgment says.

In 2018, she was cleared to return to work after an independent medical examination by a psychiatrist, who reported that she was fit for work but should return at a different school. Ms Porche was transferred to Coombabah State School, the judgment says.

There principal Murray Gleadhill and Deputy Principal Tina Flesser documented concerns including:

* Students reporting that Ms Porche yelled at them, was on her mobile phone talking about personal matters during class time and was crying in class.

* A complaint from a parent that Ms Porche had marked her child’s homework incorrect when it was correct.

* A failure to make the classroom tidy such that the cleaner was unable to clean properly after school.

Coombabah State School.

Ms Porche was suspended from duty on March 13, 2018 after which a disciplinary process ensued. Her employment was terminated on June 3, 2019.

Ms Porche filed an application challenging her dismissal with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC). After a hearing in February 2021, her application was dismissed.

She then appealed that decision to the Industrial Court. In a judgment published on February 8 2022 the court concluded that there was “no substance” to any of 44 grounds raised by Ms Porche and the appeal was dismissed.

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