Teachers still in spotlight

The community is still reeling after two Warwick State High School teachers posted images on their Facebook profile.

Poll

Should the teachers face disciplinary action after posting raunchy photos on Facebook?

This poll ended on 16 March 2011.

Yes - it's inappropriate behaviour from role models.

23%

No - what they do in their own private life is their business.

76%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

THE Rose City is still shaken up over the scandal of two Warwick State High School teachers who posted “raunchy” photos of themselves on their Facebook profile, despite most believing the teachers have done nothing wrong.

This comes as the Daily News was told by the Education Minister’s office the Ethical Standards Unit investigation into the incident could take “anywhere from three days to a month” to come to any conclusions.

One Warwick grandmother yesterday branded Ann Kerr and Helen Casey’s photos “inappropriate behaviour” in the eyes of the teenagers they educate.

“I have a grand-daughter at Warwick State High School and I don’t think you want that type of influence and example given to high school kids,” the woman told the Daily News.

“Earlier this year I attended an induction ceremony for the senior leaders who were all given copies of the code of conduct and behaviour standards, then you get these two teachers who are definitely undermining their own code.

“Their job is to make sure their students are doing the right thing with maintaining a positive public image, yet when they act like they have done with these photos the students will think ‘well, if my teachers can act like this, why can’t I?’”

Meanwhile, one caller from Brisbane who read the story on the Daily news website said he did not see anything “raunchy” about the teachers’ outfits.

“If they walked into school dressed like that I don’t find that would be inappropriate at all – if they were private school teachers maybe but I think it is appropriate attire for a public school,” the man said.

Rumours circulated around town yesterday suggesting the photos were a prank and intended as payback to students who dressed as the teachers while on a night out.

An anonymous “parent of a student taught by one of the teachers and a friend of the other” said neither teacher had exposed themselves inappropriately or adopted sexually suggestive positions.

“They appear, instead, to be at a fancy dress party. At worst, they are lampooning the public image of the ‘typical schoolgirl’,” the parent wrote to the Daily News.

“Both of these women promote a strong sense of identity and personal pride in their students, by far the best strategy for creating the resilience required to deal in the current real world of social networking.”

At time of print last night, the results of our online poll showed 75 per cent of those who voted thought the two teachers should not face disciplinary action, and what they did in their own time was their business.

A spokeswoman for the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) yesterday confirmed they had received a complaint regarding Ms Kerr in 2005, understood to be related to allegations of sexual misconduct in the course of her employment as a teacher.

Read more ...

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