A primary schoolteacher who defrauded three of her work colleagues of more than €2,000 and who owes almost €1,000 to the school where she worked has been removed from the register of teachers for at least five years.
The teacher may not apply for readmission for five years, and the panel “cannot say when, if ever” she would be readmitted, said chairman Paul Moroney.
The inquiry concerned allegations that the teacher dishonestly induced a teaching colleague and two special needs assistants (SNAs) at the school to give her more than €2,000 in September and October 2021 for Apple goods which were not subsequently delivered.
The teacher received, via Revolut, €1,102 from her teaching colleague and €375 and €545 from the two SNAs, respectively.
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The inquiry also heard allegations that the teacher received two payments of €500 each at the beginning of September 2021, by way of a loan from the school board of management. Only €50 has been repaid.
At a previous hearing in May of this year, the inquiry heard that these payments were made as the teacher had recently started at the school and by then had not received any wages from the Department of Education.
The inquiry also heard that for a prolonged period, the teacher had falsely represented that she had put in place a system to repay the money owed to the board of management.
At the hearing in May, the panel found that the allegations were proven in fact and that they amounted to professional misconduct and breaches of the Code of Conduct for Teachers.
Mr Moroney said that the behaviour of the teacher in the first three allegations related to the Apple money was “disgraceful [and] dishonourable”.
Regarding the money owed to the board of management, Mr Moroney said that the teacher was trusted to repay these funds, the non-repayment of which served to deprive the students of the school of this sum.
Mr Moroney further noted that the teacher appeared to have a lack of empathy for her victims and that she provided “little or no expert report” regarding the mental health ground advanced as a mitigating factor. Consequently, the panel was not persuaded that there was any health issue regarding mitigation.
The inquiry had heard that at the time the allegations occurred the teacher was suffering from a gambling addiction and that she had been affected by several personal tragedies, including the loss of family members and relations and a burglary at her apartment carried out by two criminals.
While the panel in its reasoning for its decision also noted that the teacher had made a limited apology, Mr Moroney said that even now, the teacher demonstrated no meaningful insight.
The panel acknowledged, as an additional mitigating factor, that the teacher repaid her three work colleagues.
The teacher, school and witnesses could not be identified, by order of the panel.
The director of the Teaching Council, who was represented by Fieldfisher Solicitors, made the complaint against the teacher, who did not attend today’s proceedings and was not represented.
The teacher has already appeared in court concerning the allegations of deceiving her colleagues, for which she did not receive a conviction. After a plea of mitigation, the Probation Act was applied.
The teacher has resigned from her position at the school.
