Dozens of Victorian teachers banned for inappropriate conduct
A Melbourne creep who messaged a student to say he was “feeling horny” and a thug from a Caroline Springs school who beat a woman in front of children are among the teachers banned from classrooms. But some are now back teaching.
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Dozens of Victorian teachers charged with crimes or inappropriate conduct are disappearing from Victorian schools as new laws ban them from being around children.
But some staff pulled from classrooms under changes to the Victorian Institute of Teaching Act have already challenged the decisions and returned to schools.
Up to 24 teachers have been impacted by strengthened powers of the teachers’ watchdog that came into effect on September 1, with more cases to be determined.
Among those banned was a teacher who bound cable ties around a woman’s wrists and ankles and told her “I will probably kill you”, and another who sent messages to a student that he was “feeling horny”.
The Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) must now cancel registrations of teachers charged with the most serious crimes, or who have received a negative Working with Children notice.
But one private school staffer disqualified from teaching over a “vicious assault”, for which he was sentenced to 14 months prison, was reinstated at the school last week.
Southern Cross Grammar teacher Simon Mathews was deregistered when the VIT found he had a negative Working with Children notice.
The primary teacher had pleaded guilty to an assault on a woman at a house party to celebrate his birthday and the completion of his teaching studies in 2013.
The then 42-year-old beat the woman so severely his own son, 14, rushed for a towel to stem her bleeding while they waited for an ambulance, tribunal documents show.
Four children were present at the time.
Mr Mathews returned to the Caroline Springs school on December 2 after he reapplied for a new Working with Children check, which was granted and voided the previous negative notice.
But he was again removed by the end of the week, pending a further investigation by the VIT.
Southern Cross Grammar principal Andrew Ponsford told the Herald Sun that Mr Mathews stopped teaching as soon as his registration was cancelled and “returned to work only after the VIT, which has extensive investigative powers, approved his registration”.
“The school has acted in strict adherence of these guidelines. No teacher has been engaged without registration.”
Mr Ponsford said the school “strongly supports processes to ensure teachers maintain the highest professional standards.”
A VIT spokeswoman said the Institute was “unable to comment on Mr Mathews’ case at this time as the matter is being deliberated by the VIT Council.”
“At this time, no registration has been granted.”
Another teacher, Daniel Mongan, was also automatically suspended due to a negative notice over his conviction for aggravated burglary, false imprisonment and assault in 2018.
Court documents show Mr Mongan was “hiding” and grabbed a woman as she entered her home, where he gaffer taped her mouth and cable tied her hands.
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She escaped when children came to the house and distracted Mr Mongan.
Beaconhills College teacher Yukihiro Nagashima, who the VIT dealt with in 2017 and was ordered to undertake counselling for sending sexually explicit messages to a 17-year-old student, was disqualified again under the latest changes.
The teacher contacted the girl on Facebook, saying, “I want to sleep with you” and “I’m feeling horny”.
Under the updated legislation, the VIT must refuse anyone who has been given a negative working with children notice or who has been convicted of a Category A offence, such as crimes relating to children, murder and attempted murder.
The watchdog now has discretion over Category B offences (violence and drug matters) and Category C conduct (convictions or guilt of any other indictable offence).
The VIT has already removed five teachers for Category A offences, one teacher for a Category B offence and eight teachers for a negative notice.
A further 10 teachers are being processed under the amendments, while those who committed Category C offences are yet to be dealt with.