Nonce of the Day

A primary school teacher told an 11-year-old pupil “you should come, like, see me” during a series of persistent late-night TikTok messages that left two children feeling “sick to the stomach”.

The New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal has censured Hamilton teacher Grant Daniel Spicer for serious misconduct and ordered that his register entry be annotated for two years.

The tribunal also directed the Teaching Council to impose conditions on any future practising certificate Spicer might hold, including a requirement to complete a professional development course on maintaining boundaries.

Spicer, who was the head of ICT and the lead teacher for the digital curriculum at Rototuna Primary School, began messaging one 11-year-old student – referred to as Student A in the tribunal’s findings – around 9pm on July 7, 2023. During the exchange, he complimented the girl’s outfit and asked what time she was going to sleep.

Stuff