Melbourne teacher banned for relationship with ex-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.
'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.
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