A teacher who snorted a line of white powder off a classroom desk during a staff Christmas function admitted to his deputy principal it was “the most stupid thing” he had ever done.
The incident, outlined in a recently released NZ Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal decision, took place following an end-of-year function at a tavern with colleagues.
The name of the teacher and school was under permanent name suppression, and a second teacher also faced a disciplinary charge in relation to the same incident.
The group of 16 school staff members left the tavern in the afternoon and went to a classroom at the school intending to continue the celebrations, the tribunal’s decision said.
The deputy principal shut the party down after staff members told them one of the teachers at the party had been offering “lines” to colleagues.
When confronted, the teacher investigated by the tribunal admitted he had been called over to a table by other staff members where he had seen five “lines” of white powder on a desk and used a rolled-up $5 note to snort some of it. He said he had been drinking beforehand and claimed the substance had no effect on him.
An employment disciplinary process followed, resulting in a final written warning and a requirement for random drug testing throughout 2023. The teacher later resigned in June 2024 and was now working at another school.
The teacher later acknowledged his “lapse in judgement” and expressed “deep regret”, saying:
“I want to make it unequivocally clear that I do not condone the events that transpired, and I remain in the dark about the nature of the substance involved.”
The action was taken on the basis that it could not be proven the white powder was an illegal substance. The parties agreed that the tribunal should proceed on the basis that the teacher thought they were taking an illegal drug, but did not actually do so.
The tribunal determined the teacher’s conduct reflected “adversely on his fitness” and was likely to bring the profession into disrepute.
“That the respondent was on school property and intended to partake in an illegal drug shows a lack of professional judgement, irrespective of whether it was a spur of the moment act and occurred because he was impaired by alcohol,” deputy chairperson Catherine Garvey said.
“The Code expects that teachers will act within the law and as positive role models for students.”
He was censured by the tribunal, ordered to disclose its findings to an employer for a period of two years, and ordered to pay $1200 towards proceedings.
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