A male teacher resigned after sending inappropriate late-night Facebook messages to a 13-year-old female student, including telling her "you'll be a catch when you are older".
Teacher Jeremy Francis Brabant was on paternity leave when he exchanged messages with the teen, and later blamed "baby brain" for the lapse in judgement.
Mr Brabant was an IT specialist and conducted seminars on cyber safety at the school where he had been employed for 12 years before the incident in 2013.
The Teachers Council Disciplinary Tribunal has now censured him, but a backdated one-year suspension means his practicing certificate is again valid.
In a decision published today, the tribunal said in 2012 he had joined a Facebook group set up for the students, with the purpose of monitoring them online.
During that year, a 13-year-old in his class told him her mother was emotionally and verbally abusing her. He reported the conversation to his principal, and spoke to the student about arranging counselling.
The student subsequently contacted Mr Brabant on Facebook while he was on paternity leave, and the pair exchanged messages from 4pm until almost 11pm.
The messages included: "You'll be a catch when you are older, you got the looks"; and "Not with your package. Even I'm jealous".
The student reported the conversation, saying it had made her feel "yucky".
Previously Mr Brabant had been told to stop allowing students to stay in his classroom after school to do their homework, as it was inappropriate.
He had also been spoken to about "over-familiarity" with students on a camp in 2012.
In response, Mr Brabant told the tribunal he agreed the Facebook messages were inappropriate.
He put the incident down to "baby brain" and said he was trying to be a supportive friend and counsel the student over bullying from other students.
His comments about her appearance were part of a misguided attempt to build up her self-confidence, he said.
Based on Mr Brabant's response, the tribunal accepted that there was "no romantic or sexual overlay to his involvement".
He had resigned from his job in December 2013, following the incident, but had recently taken a non-teaching role, and had no immediate plans to return to the classroom.
The tribunal found the exchange amounted to serious misconduct, and said it was "never acceptable for a teacher to engage in an exchange at this level of familiarity with a student, whatever the motive".
However, the teacher had already been punished for his actions through losing his job, and would suffer the shame of having the decision published.
The tribunal ordered Mr Brabant be formally censured and suspended his practicing certificate for one year, however the suspension was backdated to his resignation in December 2013.
Should he apply for a teaching position within three years, he must tell the prospective employer of the decision.
- Heather McCracken on NZME. News Service
