Latest news with #teacher
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Teacher set to have some sexual abuse charges dropped
A teacher accused of sexually assaulting two students is set to have multiple charges withdrawn as she continues to negotiate with prosecutors. Tayla Lee Brailey, 31, was arrested in August 2024 at a school in southwest Sydney after an investigation into the alleged sexual touching of a 17-year-old student. Police allege she had sexual intercourse with the student during class hours in the vicinity of the high school where she taught. Brailey is also accused of sexually touching the teenager and using a carriage service to access child abuse material in the month leading up to the alleged sexual assault. After police combed through her phone following her arrest, they charged the teacher with a second raft of sexual offences against a 16-year-old student. Brailey and the student were on the school grounds when she incited him to have sex with her after classes had finished for the day, police allege. In the same 20-minute window, she is also accused of sexually touching the teenager and inciting him to touch her. The offences are alleged to have occurred days after the teacher is accused of transmitting child abuse material to herself. Brailey did not appear in Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday, where her lawyer Olivia Branson indicated discussions about her client's case had been promising. "Negotiations are in progress and it's likely the matter will resolve," she said. Court documents indicate four of the 11 charges against the teacher, including aggravated sexual assault of a victim under her authority, are set to be withdrawn by the prosecution. The other charges expected to be scrapped relate to using a carriage service to solicit, access and possess child abuse material. Brailey's matter will return to court in September. She will remain on bail until that time under strict conditions which bar her from entering any educational institution or being in the company of a child unless a carer is present. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Fresh delays after teacher accused of engaging in sex acts with students
A female teacher accused of having sex with two male students has had her case delayed a further six weeks as prosecutors move to finalise negotiations. Tayla Brailey, 30, was arrested last August at a school following an investigation into allegations a 17-year-old boy was sexually touched by a female teacher. She was taken to a police station a little over a week later where she was hit with more charges relating to sexual offences with a 16-year-old boy, including allegedly inciting him to engage in sexual intercourse with her at a high school. Court documents seen by NewsWire also allege Ms Brailey sexually touched the 16-year-old by masturbating him. Ms Brailey was charged with touch a person between 17 and 18 years old under special care, sexual intercourse with person under care between 17 and 18, and use carriage service to access child abuse material. A charge of aggravated sexual assault of a victim under authority of offender is expected to be withdrawn. She was also charged with incite person between 16 and 17 under care to sexually touch, use carriage service to transmit child abuse material to self, incite to commit sexual intercourse with person under care between 16 and 17, and sexually touch person between 16 and 17 under special care. Charges of use carriage service to solicit child abuse material, possess/control child abuse material – use carriage service are set to be withdrawn. A related charge of incite person between 16 and 17 under care to sexually touch is also recorded on her charge sheet. No pleas have yet been entered. Ms Brailey's matter was heard briefly in Campbelltown Local Court on Wednesday, where the prosecution sought a further six-week adjournment to finalise negotiations. Junior solicitor Olivia Branson, appearing for Ms Brailey, said the teacher was excused from attending on Wednesday morning. Magistrate Peter Thompson said 'multiple' case conferences have already been held, but granted the six week adjournment to September 3. 'Negotiations are continuing, her bail is to continue to that date,' Magistrate Thompson said.
SBS Australia
4 hours ago
- Health
- SBS Australia
Should you take a day off or work from home with a mild cold? What if you can't do either?
Whether it's your first or fourth cold of the season, many Australians are waking up at the moment with a sniffle, a sore throat or feeling more tired than usual. June to August is peak flu season in Australia. There are also high rates of COVID-19 circulating, along with other respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus. Sometimes it's clear when you need to spend the day in bed: you have a fever, aches and pains, and can't think clearly. If it's the flu or COVID-19, you'll want to stay away from others and rest and recover. But what about if your symptoms are mild? Are you sick enough to take the day off, or should you push through it? And what if you feel pressured to work? Here's what to consider. Are you likely to spread it? While it may seem like a good idea to continue working, especially when your symptoms are mild, going to work when infectious with a respiratory virus risks infecting your co-workers. If you are in a client-facing role, such as a teacher or a salesperson, you may also infect others, like students or customers. The risks may be even greater for those working with vulnerable communities, such as in aged care work, where the consequences can be severe. From an organisational perspective, you are likely less productive when you are not feeling well. So, whenever possible, avoid going into work when you're feeling unwell. Should I work from home? The COVID-19 pandemic normalised working from home. Since then, more people work from home when they're unwell, rather than taking sick leave. Some employees join Zoom or Teams meetings out of guilt, not wanting to let their co-workers down. Others — and in particular, some men — feel the need to maintain their performance at work, even if it's at the expense of their health. A downside of powering through is that workers may prolong their illness by not looking after themselves. Can you take leave when you need it? Employees in Australia can take either paid or unpaid time off when they are unwell. Most full-time employees get 10 days of paid sick leave per year, while part-time employees get the equivalent pro rata. Employers can ask for reasonable evidence from employees to show they are unwell, such as asking for a medical certificate from a pharmacy or GP, or a statutory declaration. The type of evidence required may differ from organisation to organisation, with some awards and enterprise agreements specifying the type of evidence needed. While taking a sick day helps many workers recuperate, a significant proportion of workers engaged in non-standard work arrangements do not receive these benefits. There are, for example, 2.6 million casual employees who don't have access to paid sick leave. Many workers, such as casual employees and self-employed people, often don't have much choice about whether or not to take a sick day. Source: Getty / FG Trade Similarly, most self-employed people, such as tradies and gig workers, do not have any paid leave entitlements. Although these workers can still take unpaid leave, they are sacrificing income when they call in sick. Research from the Australian Council of Trade Unions has found more than half of insecure workers don't take time off when injured or sick. So a significant proportion of workers in Australia simply cannot afford to call in sick. Why pushing through isn't the answer 'Presenteeism' is the phenomenon of people reporting for work even when they are unwell or not fully functioning, affecting their health and productivity. While exact figures are hard to determine, since most organisations don't systematically track it, estimates suggest 30 to 90 per cent of employees work while sick at least once a year. People work while sick for different reasons. Some choose to because they love their job or enjoy the social side of work — this is called voluntary presenteeism. But many don't have a real choice, facing financial pressure or job insecurity. That's involuntary presenteeism, and it's a much bigger problem. Research has found industry norms may be shaping the prevalence of 'involuntary presenteeism', with workers in the health and education sectors more likely to feel obligated to work when sick due to 'at work' caring responsibilities. What can organisations do about it? Leaders set the tone, especially around health and wellbeing. When they role-model healthy behaviour and support time off, it gives others permission to do the same. Supportive leaders can help reduce presenteeism, while pressure from demanding leaders can make it worse. Your co-workers matter too. When teams step up and share the load, it creates a culture where people feel safe to take leave. A supportive environment makes wellbeing a shared responsibility. But for some workers, leave isn't an option. Fixing this requires policy change across industries and society more broadly, not just inside the workplace.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Former preschool teacher pleads guilty to kicking 4-year-old girl, leaving bruise
SINGAPORE: A former preschool teacher pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Jul 22) to kicking a four-year-old girl as she felt that the child, who was seated, had nearly caused her to trip. The child felt pain on her shin, which became bruised. Alamelu Paramaguru, a 57-year-old Singaporean, admitted to one charge of ill-treating a child under the Children and Young Persons Act. The court heard that she was known as "Teacher Meloo" at the kindergarten, which cannot be named due to a gag order preventing identification of the victim. The child was in Kindergarten 1 at the time of the offence in April 2024. On Apr 2, 2024, Alamelu was in charge of the K1 class. After morning lessons, the children had lunch and a bath. They were to have a nap around noon. At about 11.55am, Alamelu sanitised the sleeping cots and placed them on the floor. She instructed a group of seven students, including the victim, to move away from a corner of the classroom as she wanted to place the cots there. Six of them moved, but the victim remained seated on the floor. Alamelu began moving a cot to the corner. After this, she turned and felt that she had nearly been tripped by the victim, although she did not trip or fall. Alamelu became angry. She forcefully kicked the girl on her right shin while scolding and shouting at her to sit properly. The child felt pain and hugged her shin before burying her face. Alamelu did not attend to the girl and continued to scold her. Later that evening, the girl told her mother that Teacher Meloo had kicked her as she was "not sitting properly". Her mother saw a bruise on the girl's shin and immediately spoke to other teachers, since Alamelu had left for the day. The teachers said they would bring the matter up with the principal the next day, and the victim's mother lodged a police report that same night. The girl was seen at KK Women's and Children's Hospital with a bruise measuring 1cm by 1cm. She was given two days of medical leave and some cream. During investigations, Alamelu said she could not remember what had happened when asked if she had done anything to the girl. She said that, "unconsciously", her foot could have touched or made contact with the girl's leg. Alamelu, who is defended by Mr Jonathan Wong from Tembusu Law, is no longer with the school. CNA has contacted the Early Childhood Development Agency for more information. She will return to court for mitigation and sentencing in August.
CBC
18 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Teacher recalls 'massive sound' as fighter jet crashes into Bangladesh school
A teacher described the moment a fighter jet on a training mission crashed into a school in Dhaka on Monday, and the shock of seeing children trying to get out of the building.
