A teacher who physically threw a misbehaving 10-year-old boy out of his classroom, injuring the child, will be allowed to continue practicing his profession.
August Junior Leaupepe was working as a teaching assistant at Flat Bush Primary School in South Auckland, New Zealand, in July 2019 when the incident occurred.
His class was working on a word search, but the boy took another student’s work and refused to give it back.
When Leaupepe told him to give it back, the boy said, “You’re not my boss.”
Leaupepe replied that he was, but the boy said, ‘No, that’s my father.’
The teacher grabbed the back of the boy’s T-shirt with both hands, causing his feet to lift off the ground.
He then violently pushed the child toward the classroom door.
He opened the door with one hand and threw the boy violently onto the outside deck.
A New Zealand teacher has been disciplined by a professional tribunal after physically lifting and throwing an unruly 10-year-old from his classroom (Photo: Stock Photo)
The boy temporarily had difficulty breathing and suffered abrasions, bruising and general pain on his right side.
Leaupepe later told police that he had not dragged the student, but had picked him up and escorted him out of the classroom.
He claimed the boy was holding his arm and he let go, likely causing him to fall.
Leaupepe could not say how the boy was injured, but he did admit that his grip “made him hard.”
In March 2021, Leaupepe pleaded guilty to child abuse but was released without conviction by the Manukau District Court in Auckland.
Mitigating factors included Leaupepe’s admission of guilt, his genuine remorse, his lack of prior convictions, the offer to participate in restorative justice (which the student refused), and to pay the boy $300 in restitution.
The boy’s caregiver said the child was initially hurt and upset but “got over it.”
In a ruling published Wednesday, based on a hearing held last year, the Teachers’ Disciplinary Commission found Leaupepe guilty of serious misconduct, saying his use of force was both unjustified and unreasonable.
The court found that he could have dealt with the boy’s behavior in other ways. He was reprimanded for this and ordered to undergo professional development.
According to a court report, Leaupepe was also ordered to pay $1,582 in costs. New Zealand Herald.
However, the court also ruled that Leaupepe, as an inexperienced teacher, had not received the necessary support and had therefore ended up in ‘a precarious position’.
The 10-year-old boy who was physically removed from the classroom temporarily had difficulty breathing and suffered bruises and abrasions (photo stock photo)
It was stated that Leaupepe would benefit from professional development with more support in the areas of classroom management and dealing with student behaviour.
“The court does not want to see Mr Leaupepe lose his education, especially at a time when there is a shortage of teachers in Pasifika,” the court said in a statement.
Despite the fact that he is still allowed to work in the profession and his previously expressed ambition to become a fully-fledged primary school teacher, Leaupepe indicated in 2022 that he no longer wanted to be in front of the class.