24 banned QLD teachers pose “unacceptable risk” to students. 1 science teacher gets 4-year ban for grooming teenage girl…

The Queensland College of Teachers has dropped a slew of new stats that detail how many teaching licenses have been suspended or revoked since January due to serious allegations, including sexual misconduct.

Sexual relationships with students, inappropriate sleepovers and  sexting were listed as some of the disturbing behaviours for which the Queensland College of Teachers launched proceedings. According to reports, five of the 24 teachers who have either been banned or suspended are female. 

Science teacher receives 4-year ban for grooming teenage girl

A decision delivered in June this year saw a 37-year-old biology teacher banned from teaching for four years after the tribunal heard he engaged in inappropriate conduct described as “very disturbing on a number of levels”. Referred to only as DGM, the teacher “engaged in conduct clearly designed to ‘groom’” one y17-year-old student “for the purposes of his own sexual gratification”, collecting her from parties without her parents’ knowledge, giving the student $250 in cash, conducted private tutoring sessions with no-on else present and engaged in an ongoing sexual relationship from November 2015 until mid-2016. 

According to the Tribunal decision, a 15-year-old student said the teacher rubbed their back during a boat excursion that made her feel uncomfortable. She also said the teacher made inappropriate gesutres and said  “lick me, I’m salty”. This student’s father complained to the school and she was removed from that teacher’s class. Read the full decision by clicking here. 

Principal with “serious boundary violations” receives 4.5-year ban

A school principal referred to only as CSK was alleged by QCT to have acted inappropriately with a group of year 7 students, taking them on outings without written permission, allowing unlicensed minors to drive his car, organising sleepovers with children at his home as reward for work done on the garden, taking children on weekend activities without written permission, requesting and allowing children to work at his home for reward. 

It was said at the Tribunal that this principal also threatened “legal action, dismissal or transfer against any staff member who raised allegations against him. Read the full decision by clicking here. 

QCT director John Ryan told the ABC: “There is no place in the Queensland teaching profession for any person whose inappropriate behaviour presents a risk to the safety and wellbeing of others, or places the integrity and good standing of the profession in jeopardy.”

“Of the serious criminal offences committed against children by teachers, a majority are committed against children who are not their students.”