A teacher in his early 20s who engaged in inappropriate contact via social media with several young girls who were his former pupils has been found guilty of professional misconduct.
An inquiry by the Teaching Council found seven allegations proven of inappropriate contact on Snapchat by the teacher with six former students at the secondary school where he taught as well as another girl from the same area.
The council’s disciplinary committee also concluded that the teacher, who did not attend the inquiry, had breached the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers by his actions.
The chairperson of the inquiry, Seán O’Neill, directed that the teacher, the students, the school and its general geographical location cannot be identified.
The inquiry, which concluded on Thursday, heard evidence over two days that the teacher had worked as a student teacher and subsequently as a substitute teacher at the school between September and December 2019.
He was accused of inappropriately contacting six female students from the school and another girl from the same area, who were aged 13-14 years at the time, via Snapchat on unknown dates between September 2019 and July 2020.
'Sinister aspect'
In a closing submission, counsel for the Teaching Council, Eoghan O’Sullivan BL, said there had been “a sinister aspect” to the conduct of the teacher which could not be considered “mere folly or stupidity".
Mr O’Sullivan claimed it was “plainly inappropriate” for a teacher in their early 20s to even attempt to contact children on Snapchat.
The barrister said the content of the messages sent by the teacher to some of the girls was manifestly inappropriate and constituted professional misconduct.
In particular, he stressed that the committee should consider the age of the students who were at an early stage of their development and understanding of what is appropriate interaction between adults and children.
However, Mr O’Sullivan said all the girls deserved credit for the very mature way they had dealt with the situation by either not accepting the teacher’s request to add him to their friends on Snapchat or by bringing any online conversation with him quickly to an end once they realised who he was.
Pattern
The inquiry heard there was a pattern to the teacher’s conduct which could not be explained away as an unfortunate coincidence or honest mistake as he had contacted six former students over a relatively short period of time.
Mr O’Sullivan said the inquiry should also have regard to the content of the messages sent by the teacher to the girls.
He pointed out that the teacher had sent a part-topless photo of himself to one student, while he had described another girl as a “little ride".
“That is an astonishing message for an adult to be sending a 13-year-old,” remarked Mr O’Sullivan.
He highlighted how the teacher had also repeatedly tried to add another former pupil to Snapchat after she had blocked him a couple of times and even after she had informed him that he had been her teacher.
Mr O’Sullivan said the teacher had tried to press another teenager, whom he had called his “favourite student,” into sending him a selfie.
The committee heard that the teacher’s conduct called into question his suitability to be a teacher.
It is very unusual and disturbing behaviour for an adult to engage in at all.
“It is very unusual and disturbing behaviour for an adult to engage in at all,” observed Mr O’Sullivan.
He accused the teacher of using information he had gleaned from his time at the school to shatter the trust and confidence which both the girls’ parents and the school were entitled to expect.
“His actions were fundamentally and completely at odds with the conduct and behaviour one would expect of a teacher,” he added.
Mr O’Sullivan said the teacher had also committed “the most serious contraventions” of the profession’s code of conduct relating to upholding the reputation and standing of teachers as well as ensuring that any communication with students was appropriate.
The inquiry on Thursday also briefly heard evidence from one of the teacher’s former pupils who confirmed that he had tried to add her to Snapchat in early 2020.
However, the girl said she rejected the request as she “knew who he was and I didn’t want to add him back".
Contacted by parents
The school’s deputy principal also told the inquiry that the teacher had not been used again as a substitute teacher after “the damage” he caused when he failed to show up for a scheduled class one Monday morning without notifying the school.
The witness said he became aware of allegations about the teacher after he was contacted by parents of students but that he had no idea of the teacher’s whereabouts by that stage.
A previous sitting of the inquiry last month heard the mother of one of the students brand the teacher as “a predator.”
The committee was told that the teacher had initially denied contacting the students when he had been interviewed by Tusla following complaints filed by some of the girls’ parents.
However, he subsequently made admissions after being presented with screenshots of text exchanges on Snapchat.
In a letter to the Teaching Council, the teacher, who has been a registered post-primary teacher since 2019, claimed he had mental health issues and problems with alcohol for several years.
He stated he was under severe pressure around the start of the Covid-19 pandemic due to his father’s illness and the break-up of his relationship with his girlfriend.
The teacher expressed fear about being named publicly as he had already received threats and been called names as well as not telling most members of his family that he was facing a professional inquiry.
He insisted he was a “good teacher” and “a good person.”
The inquiry was adjourned until a future date when it will hear submissions on the appropriate sanction to be imposed on the teacher.
