Retired educator says molester still teaching kids after 30 years

Explosive allegations have come to light that a teacher who got a Grade 9 student pregnant in the 1980s is still working at a Tasmanian school.

• State school sex abuse inquiry could avoid ‘heart of the issue’
• Child sex abuse survivor advocates worry government won’t answer why it moved paedophiles

A TEACHER who sexually abused one of his Year 9 students and got her pregnant in the late 1980s remains employed by the Education Department, a retired educator claims.

But the state government says it can’t comment on the explosive allegations and that the retiree – who has asked to remain anonymous – should take his concerns to the police instead.

The retiree, who taught at a Hobart school for 20 years, said he will never forget the day the principal called for an all-staff meeting to announce he’d accepted a resignation from the teacher in question.

“I will never forget the PA announcement. Usually when that kind of announcement came over, it was very serious,” the retiree said.

“The principal came over all ashen-faced and silent.

“He said staff, I’ve accepted the resignation of Johnny Jones (not real name); he’s been a very good teacher.

“This individual, who was in his early 30s, had an affair with a Grade 9 female and got her pregnant … she was a vulnerable young lady who was taken advantage of by this p****.

“We were all waiting around for court cases but it was all hush, hush, nothing happened.”

The man said 18 months later, the teacher was employed at a Hobart Catholic school.

Then a few years later, he said the teacher managed to get back into the state education system and was employed by a West Coast school.

The retiree said now, the man was working at a state government school in the North.

“He is still a teacher there,” the man said.

“It just continues to horrify me.

“First of all, how did he get his Working with Vulnerable People card? How did he get his teacher’s registration? It’s just all jaw droppingly surreal.

“It just gets pushed under the carpet.”

A Department of Education spokesperson said it couldn’t comment on individual cases but encouraged “all historic claims of child sex abuse to be directed to Tasmania Police so that they can be investigated”.

“The department cooperates fully with police and has processes in place for the management and investigation of any new allegations that are raised,” they said.

The spokesperson also said that now, any state government staff accused of child sex abuse were suspended from duty, pending the outcome of investigations.

Follow @ambervwilson