MEDIA RELEASE

16 August 2013

Rogue Teachers Should Be Named

Family First NZ is welcoming a call by a parliamentary select committee to name teachers who are found guilty of criminal offences. A report in 2010 found that teachers have remained in our classrooms despite convictions for indecent assault on a student, threatening to kill, assault on a female and other acts of violence.

“Parents place great trust in the teachers’ profession and this trust needs to be matched by accountability and transparency. As well as that, the welfare and protection of children is far greater than the rights of an offending teacher to potentially hide their crimes,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“Not only is it a deterrent for other potential offenders, but it has a protective element in terms of identifying someone who may put children and families at risk. The protection of the community should always outweigh the rights of an offender to be able to mask their crimes,” says Mr McCoskrie.

“For teachers, this threshold needs to be at the highest level because of their position of trust and the vulnerability of young people.”

“The welfare, protection and moral innocence of our children must be paramount. Name suppression undermines that priority.”

ENDS

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