Teacher who kissed student in special school removed from register for decade

A male teacher in a special school who hugged and kissed a female student on the lips has been removed from the register for 10 years by a fitness-to-teach committee. Committee chairman Fergal McCarthy said the teacher would not be eligible to apply to be admitted to the register for 10 years from the date of any High Court judgment confirming the ruling. The teacher was found guilty last month of professional misconduct and breaches of the code of professional conduct for teachers. The committee found that on May 13th, 2025, the teacher hugged the student, put his arms around her waist and lifted her. READ MOREIt was claimed that three days later the teacher hugged the student, who was 18 at the time, kissed her on the cheek and on the lips, and stroked her on the cheek,He also told her, “Don’t tell anyone”, the committee heard.The incidents were found to have taken place in a cupboard located to the side of the PE hall in the school.The teacher was found to have sent the student inappropriate private messages on Instagram. The committee heard that he told her in messages: “Well it looks like you will have to miss me a little bit longer” and “it’s not like you can say ‘no’ to me”.The committee previously ruled that the identity of the student and the identity of all witnesses, along with the name and location of the school, be anonymised.McCarthy said the teacher’s conduct was “undoubtedly serious”. The teacher had been trusted “not to abuse the position of power and trust” that he had in the school and the subject he taught was one that students enjoyed, said the chairman.He said the teacher was aware the student was “vulnerable”, that she had “a desire for connection” and had, as a consequence, “a willingness to disclose [to others] personal details” about herself.He found the teacher’s conduct to be “deliberate and intended”. McCarthy said that the sanction arrived at was “not disproportionate” in light of the type of school involved, the “known vulnerability” of the student and “the need to protect the public into the future”. McCarthy said that there were two incidents of physical conduct, involving hugging and kissing, and that the teacher’s conduct was not an isolated incident and involved “a specific pattern”.Kate Egan, counsel for the director of the Teaching Council, said the teacher’s behaviour was “especially serious” as he was teaching in a school for students with general mild learning disabilities. After the student’s mother told the school of the teacher’s alleged conduct towards her daughter, an investigation took place in the school.The teacher, who is no longer working at the school, did not attend the sanction hearing and was not legally represented in front of the committee.Egan said that following the inappropriate physical behaviour there was “a full weekend” of “private and inappropriate communication via Instagram” between the teacher and the student.This added to the seriousness of the behaviour and was further evidence of a “sustained pattern”, said Egan.She said the teacher’s behaviour undermined the trust of parents and students at the school, who were “particularly vulnerable” and required an increased level of trust from those taking care of them.Egan said that although the teacher was apologetic, he tried to explain “to an extent” what happened and did not make full admissions.The committee had heard in September that the teacher claimed that it was the student who initiated the physical interactions in May 2025.