Matt Trovato among 13 educators suspended by the Victorian Institute of Teaching

A Glenroy primary school teacher is one of 13 educators disciplined by the state’s peak teaching regulator last month. It comes after a well-known Bendigo PE teacher was suspended last month.

Matt Trovato, a northern suburbs teacher, is facing reckless conduct charges. Picture: Facebook

A northern suburbs primary school teacher charged with reckless conduct is one of 13 educators disciplined by the Victorian Institute of Teaching last month.

Matt Trovato, a classic car enthusiast, has been suspended on an interim basis by the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Mr Trovato was a grade three/four teacher at Glenroy Central Primary School this year and has recently worked there as a STEM teacher.

He has previously worked at Gladstone Views Primary School.

Mr Trovato has been charged with reckless conduct causing serious injury and will appear in the Broadmeadows Magistrates Court next month.

According to his social media profile, Mr Trovato has a bachelor degree in education from RMIT and went to St Bernard’s in Essendon.

Teacher and musician Dennis Josue Alberto is among 13 educators suspended last month by the VIT. Picture: YouTube

A Department of Education spokeswoman said it was “unlawful for a person to work as a teacher if their registration has been suspended”.

“As this is a matter before the courts, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”

In other action taken by the teaching regulator, Stephen Luckman, a former grade five/six teacher at St Mary’s School Thornbury, has been suspended on an interim basis.

A spokeswoman for Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools said that upon being notified of allegations, “Mr Luckman was immediately directed not to attend the school and has not been at the school since August 2020”

“We take all allegations of misconduct extremely seriously. The care, safety, and wellbeing of students is our highest priority,” she said.

Others suspended on an interim basis include Jonathan Goodluck, Ashleigh Ferguson, Jessica Fry and provisionally registered early childhood teacher Alicia Mackinnon.

Also suspended on an interim basis is Anthea Scott, a psychology and English teacher at Beechworth Secondary College. Ms Scott was formerly at Myrtleford P-12 College.

Eltham High history teacher Christopher Serong has also been issued with an interim suspension.

Dean Norris, who was Girton Grammar School’s head of the Physical Education department, was suspended on an interim basis by the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) last month.

Michelle Grant, a former Catholic girls’ school art teacher who sexually abused a student — including drawing her nude in a Titanic-style erotic act – in the early 1990s, has had her registration cancelled.

She is disqualified from teaching in a school because she has been convicted of a category A offence after pleading guilty to sexual penetration of a child under care, supervision or authority.

As the Herald Sun has previously reported, former Girton Grammar head of PE, Dean Norris, has been suspended on an interim basis.

When the VIT conducts a review of an interim suspension, it will take into account any written submissions made by the teacher.

The VIT may revoke the interim suspension of a teacher’s registration if it no longer reasonably believes the teacher poses an unacceptable risk of harm to children and the interim suspension of their registration is necessary to protect children.

In addition, Scott Copeman, a well-known Melbourne composer, musician and “disruptive” East Doncaster Secondary College teacher has been banned from teaching for five years by the state’s teaching regulator.

In other updates this month, a basketball player and former PE teacher from Mill Park Secondary College, Mark Scherf, has had his teacher’s registration cancelled. He is disqualified from teaching in a school or early childhood service because he was given a working with children’s check exclusion.

Dennis Alberto, also known as Dennis Josue, has also been suspended on an interim basis. A teacher and Christian musician, Mr Alberto worked until March 2024 at Penola Catholic College in Broadmeadows as a religious education and science teacher.

Stephen Sedergreen, musician and former Blackburn High teacher who pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful assault, has had his teacher’s registration cancelled.

He is disqualified from teaching in a school or early childhood service because he was given a working with children’s check exclusion.

He is due to appear in Ringwood Magistrates’ Court next month for an Application Hearing.