Airdale Primary School teacher Kefei Wang lauded in court documents after being cleared over student assault charge
A first-year teacher and music genius who came to Australia to help kids was left in a classroom of chaos without help. A court has shown him sympathy, dismissing an assault charge.
A first-year teacher cleared of an assault charge was left alone in classrooms of chaos by a school leadership that had just closed a specialised hub to deal with high-needs students, a court was told.
Adelaide Magistrates Court documents reveal the dysfunctional Port Pirie school had been forced to evacuate its classrooms because of unruly student behaviour.
But when Kefei ‘Felix’ Wang, 34, asked for assistance to handle his complex Airdale Primary School class, he was told to “deal with it himself”.
Mr Wang, of Largs Bay, had his employment suspended in March last year for grabbing a seven-year-old student’s wrist and dragging him back into class – resulting in him being escorted off the school grounds, arrested and placed in police custody for 40 minutes.
The state Education Minister said teachers could restrain students only if there was an “immediate risk of harm to the student or others”.
That decision is up to individual teachers themselves, The Advertiser was told.
In court on Wednesday, Magistrate Luke Davis dismissed Mr Wang’s assault charge and did not record a conviction due to his “challenging” classroom, saying he had no support.
In a letter to the court, long-term teacher Nicky Welch – who had mentored Mr Wang at Airdale Primary – said in Mr Wang’s first year on a full-time contract, the school closed a “specialised regulation hub” to support high-needs students.
“The school community faces significant challenges, and many students present with complex behavioural needs, including frequent incidents of verbal and physical aggression, property damage, and dysregulation that sometimes necessitate whole-class evacuations,” Ms Welch said.
“In 2023, a specialised regulation hub was in operation to support these high-needs students; this hub closed at the end of that year due to staffing changes.”
Ms Welch added that, as a result of the hub’s closure, Mr Wang was appointed to a “highly complex class” that she had previously supported.
“Without the support of the regulation hub, and with limited leadership availability at that time, he was expected to manage a very high-needs cohort with minimal backup,” she said.
“He (Mr Wang) had expressed concern about the escalating complexity of the classroom and reported that when he had previously sought leadership assistance, he was told he would need to ‘deal with it himself’. This placed him in an incredibly difficult and unfair position for a beginning teacher.
“Kefei is a kind, respectful, and committed educator who, in my view, was failed by the system around him.
“Based on my professional experience, I believe the incident involving (the student) occurred in the context of extreme stress, inadequate support, and a well-intentioned, albeit misguided, attempt to maintain the safety and routine of the classroom.”
Court documents reveal Mr Wang, who declined to comment, left his career as an accountant in China to “seek a better life” in Australia as a teacher – a profession, he believed, would allow him to “reap reward from hard work”.
He is a “deeply committed” and passionate musician who had performed with his musical group ‘Silk Strings Ensemble’ at the Fringe and OzAsia.
Airdale Primary’s SSO at the time, Ebony Tizio, was there the day Mr Wang grabbed the boy and said his subsequent absence from the school left the rest of his students “completely out of order”.
Ms Tizio said the student left the classroom before being dismissed – resulting in Mr Wang following him out to “return him to the class”.
“I did not see the moment in which (the student) was pulled back from the door to the yard, but I did see Mr Wang bring (the student) back inside through the hall as I was exiting the classroom,” Ms Tizio said.
“I can safely say the class was never the same without Mr Wang and a lot of rules and regulations went completely out of order. The behaviour issues were consistent. Many children told me they missed their teacher and a general lack of respect returned to the classroom.
“I truly feel Mr Wang’s presence made a huge change in classroom dynamic and I was disappointed to see him go. The classroom was known as a very chaotic class after Mr Wang left.
“I enjoyed working with Felix because the class seemed to trust their teacher and he had earned the respect of many children. The class felt organised and calm as the children were previously known to be very chaotic.
“Mr Wang has always been a friendly and kind member of the school community.
“I think his passion for music and talent inspired many children despite his short lived time at Airdale.”
During sentencing, Mr Davis noted Mr Wang was directed away from the site after the incident was reported to the school’s principal, before he spent 40 minutes in police custody.
“You went through the humiliation of being arrested, you spent some 40 minutes in custody and you’ve been on bail for a long time since,” he said.
“Since then, you’ve been suspended from teaching shortly after the offence and you’re still suspended.
“You have so much to offer, and it’s my hope – while not trying to tell the Teacher’s Board what to do – that they get you back in, but properly supported this time.”
Education Minister Blair Boyer said, while regional teachers “deserve to feel respected, valued and supported”, student safety is “always the paramount consideration”.
“The department’s protective practices guidelines are clear, that teachers are not expected to restrain students unless there is an immediate risk of harm to the student or others,” Mr Boyer said.
SA Police, the school and the Australian Education Union declined to comment.
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Originally published as Airdale Primary School teacher Kefei Wang lauded in court documents after being cleared over student assault charge
