Name suppression for teacher misconduct protects witnesses
14 June 2010
Name suppression for teachers appearing before the NZ Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal is in place to protect the identity of children and young people who are often the case witnesses.
“The crux of the issue is not about naming and shaming teachers. It’s about maintaining the safest learning environment possible for children and young people,” said Dr Peter Lind, Director of the New Zealand Teachers Council (the Council).
“It takes a lot of courage for a child or young person to make an official complaint about a teacher. Name suppression helps reduce the stress and anxiety experienced by the witness and their parents by assuring them the process is confidential.”
Dr Lind said only 50 teachers have appeared before the Disciplinary Tribunal, compared to over 95,000 teachers who are registered with the Council.
“Most teachers do an exemplary job and are a credit to the teaching profession. I can assure the public that we are dealing with a very small percentage who are disciplined for misconduct.
“The reality is teachers involved in the most serious cases are likely to be deregistered and must apply to the Council to have their registration re-instated.
“Parents can be assured that we only allow teachers into the classroom when in the Council's professional judgement that person is fit to teach.
“The Council has strict monitoring processes in place for those with restrictions on their practising certificates.
“Our data-share with the Ministry of Education now allows the Council to know who is employed in a teaching position, therefore minimising the risks,” said Dr Lind.
ENDS
Contact: Dr Peter Lind, Director, 04 470 9055 or 0274 311 523.
What parents can do to find out more information about a teacher
The register will show whether the teacher's record is marked with the term “with conditions”. If parents have further concerns they can raise them with the principal and board of trustees in schools, and the management in early childhood education services.
Principals and boards of trustees and employers in early childhood education services can use the public register to see whether a teacher has been annotated “with conditions”. This provides an alert for any employer looking to employ this teacher.