Former Carey Grammar teacher banned for 35,000 messages to student
A teacher who sent 35,000 messages to a student and started a romantic relationship with them after they graduated from high school has been barred from the profession.
Eleanor Louise Yorke faced a disciplinary hearing at the Victorian Institute of Teaching in March over allegations of serious misconduct while employed as a teacher at Carey Baptist Grammar in Melbourne's inner-east.
Carey Grammar became aware of the relationship in June 2023, about two years after it became sexual, and stood Yorke down. The teaching watchdog suspended her registration that month.
In a decision published on Thursday, the regulator cancelled Yorke's registration and barred the 31-year-old from the profession for three years, starting from March 2025.
The teaching disciplinary panel said Yorke admitted to serious misconduct, but noted it was not a one-off event.
'[It] occurred over a period of years, changing in nature from professional interactions into personal, intimate discussions and culminating in a sexual relationship,' the panel wrote.
The decision states that Yorke considered imposing boundaries on the queer relationship while she taught at the school, but 'lacked the strength of character or judgment to do so'.
'This deliberate rejection of professional standards by a teacher whose skills and talents had led to rapid promotion was one for which the panel could find no justification, nor was there any satisfactory explanation.'
The teacher had 'frequent and familiar communication' with the teen throughout 2020, and contacted them about 35,000 times via Microsoft Teams, the regulator said.
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Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Banned teacher sent 35k messages to student
A Victorian teacher who began a sexual relationship with an ex-student within two years of them graduating has been suspended from the profession for three years. Eleanor Yorke was sacked from Carey Grammar in Melbourne after it was discovered she had sent 35,000 messages to a then student before later having a sexual relationship with them. She accepted allegations of serious misconduct at a Victoria Institute of Teaching hearing in March. The allegations were first raised by the school in May 2023 and a month later her employment was terminated. She faced a hearing earlier this year after it was alleged that she violated her professional relationship with the then student – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – by having personal conversations with them. Her barrister told the hearing that she accepted the allegations made against her and that she was not fit to teach. Eleanor Yorke has been banned from teaching for three years. Supplied. Credit: Supplied 'There was agreement between the parties that each of the allegations outlined in the hearing book were substantiated,' the panel found. 'The teacher accepted that the allegations amounted to serious misconduct and that her registration should be cancelled.' The Victoria Institute of Teachers code of conduct was amended in 2021 to forbid teachers from engaging in sexual relationships with former students within two years of them graduating. The panel found that Yorke 'discussed this amendment of the code with the student and then chose to ignore it', calling it a 'deliberate rejection of professional standards'. 'The public has a right to believe that their children are protected, and the teacher's behaviour has the potential to undermine community confidence in teachers and schools,' the panel said in its judgment published on Thursday. The panel found that Yorke's behaviour warranted 'strong condemnation' 'Given that there was agreement that all allegations were substantiated, the panel decided that the protection of children, the message of general deterrence to others in the teaching profession and community expectations about trust and respect for the teaching profession required a strong sanction,' the judgment said. Yorke's registration was cancelled for three years beginning on March 24.
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Perth Now
Teacher banned after sending 35,000 messages to student
A Victorian teacher who sent thousands of messages to a student and engaged in sexual acts with them following graduation has been banned from teaching. Former Carey Baptist Grammar teacher Eleanor Louise Yorke began dating an 18-year-old former student, who for legal reasons cannot be named. Yorke, who joined the school in 2017, taught biology and chemistry to Year 12 students. Yorke joined the school in 2017 as a biology and chemistry teacher. Credit: Supplied During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Yorke, who was then 26, and the 17-year-old pupil began talking online over Microsoft Teams. The teenager contacted Yorke for additional help with schoolwork, which led to the pair talking every day. A disciplinary panel at the Victorian Institute of Teaching found Yorke had sent the student 35,000 messages. On Thursday, the now 31-year-old had her registration cancelled and has been banned from working in education for three years. '(Yorke's actions) occurred over a period of years, changing in nature from professional interactions into personal, intimate discussions and culminating in a sexual relationship,' the disciplinary panel said of its judgement. 'This deliberate rejection of professional standards by a teacher whose skills and talents had led to rapid promotion was one for which the panel could find no justification, nor was there any satisfactory explanation'. 'The emails show an increased emotional bonding developing through the extensive number of messages,' the panel also said. 'There were increasingly frequent references to taking the teacher's relationship with the student to a new level once the student had completed Year 12'. Yorke told the disciplinary panel that the relationship was entirely consensual, but she was concerned about the power imbalance. Carey Baptist Grammar stood Yorke down in 2023 after becoming aware of the relationship, citing concerns for professional standards. Yorke has said she is now pursuing a degree in psychology and has reportedly no desire to return to teaching.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
Former Carey Grammar teacher banned for 35,000 messages to student
A teacher who sent 35,000 messages to a student and started a romantic relationship with them after they graduated from high school has been barred from the profession. Eleanor Louise Yorke faced a disciplinary hearing at the Victorian Institute of Teaching in March over allegations of serious misconduct while employed as a teacher at Carey Baptist Grammar in Melbourne's inner-east. Carey Grammar became aware of the relationship in June 2023, about two years after it became sexual, and stood Yorke down. The teaching watchdog suspended her registration that month. In a decision published on Thursday, the regulator cancelled Yorke's registration and barred the 31-year-old from the profession for three years, starting from March 2025. The teaching disciplinary panel said Yorke admitted to serious misconduct, but noted it was not a one-off event. '[It] occurred over a period of years, changing in nature from professional interactions into personal, intimate discussions and culminating in a sexual relationship,' the panel wrote. The decision states that Yorke considered imposing boundaries on the queer relationship while she taught at the school, but 'lacked the strength of character or judgment to do so'. 'This deliberate rejection of professional standards by a teacher whose skills and talents had led to rapid promotion was one for which the panel could find no justification, nor was there any satisfactory explanation.' The teacher had 'frequent and familiar communication' with the teen throughout 2020, and contacted them about 35,000 times via Microsoft Teams, the regulator said.
