The principal of a Hawkes Bay school is being investigated by the Teachers Council after a teacher at the school was jailed for molesting female pupils.
Charles John Michael Harter, 63, was sentenced at the Napier District Court yesterday to three years and four months in prison.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to nine charges representing multiple offences on each of the nine complainants dating back to the start of the school year in February. Offences involved touching mainly in the breast area.
He was a music, mathematics and drama teacher, who taught from his home studio. He also taught music and drama at Havelock North Primary School until he left in June.
The Education Act said if a teacher left a school, the principal or board must report to the Teachers Council if they were "dissatisfied with, or intended to investigate, any aspect of the conduct of the teacher, or the teacher's competence", including any serious misconduct that was suspected.
A Teachers Council spokeswoman today said Havelock North Primary School principal Paul Bremer alerted them to Harter on August 14 - two months after Harter left the school and three days after he was arrested.
Mr Bremer was going through a "conduct and competency process", she said.
"He is being investigated by the Complaints Assessment Committee."
During sentencing yesterday, Harter's lawyer Tony Snell said his client had suffered depression after his ex-wife's death in the Carterton hot air balloon tragedy.
The offences occurred mainly in Harter's studio at home or at the school, involving girls initially contacted within group-music tuition at the school.
Crown prosecutor Rebecca Guthrie and Judge David Cameron were concerned with what they saw as Harter's attempts in interviews to transfer some of the blame to the children.
Mr Snell said Harter often suffered depression, with the latest bout thought to have been triggered by the death of Belinda Harter, who was killed with her partner and nine others in the balloon crash on January 7, 2012.
Detective Lisa Tod said after the sentencing that the families were "devastated" by the offending but were not prepared to comment yesterday.
School Board of Trustees chairwoman Rachel Cornwall said in a written statement the school hoped the conclusion "will assist in helping families to heal and put these events behind them. We appreciate this is a very difficult time for them".
A teacher with more than 40 years' experience in Masterton, Hutt Valley and Hawkes Bay, Harter is well-known in musical and production circles. He founded a theatre company in Wellington, won awards for theatrical production and appeared in a panel on a television programme helping students solve homework problems.
