Australia: Stalker free to teach

What do you have to do to be regarded as dangeous? Kill someone? Is there no requirement for teachers to be of good character?

A high school teacher who was sacked after allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to a female student and who then took revenge by stalking his principal with a series of threatening emails, is free to resume his teaching career. The Queensland College of Teachers was due to fight Robert James Harris's return to work in the Court of Appeal this month, but it has since abandoned the challenge. The decision has cleared the way for Mr Harris, who was initially struck off in 2005, to regain his registration. He was a former physical education teacher at Robina State High School on the Gold Coast.

He came to the attention of police and the Crime and Misconduct Commission and Education Queensland officers in 2002 when a 17-year-old athletics student complained he had sent her abusive text messages after she sought a new coach. She also said she had received messages from Mr Harris with a sexual connotation while he was her coach but they stopped. Mr Harris was never charged over the SMS allegations but was dismissed in 2003 over them and alleged subsequent SMS and written contact with the girl and her family.

Later, he sent multiple threatening emails to his female principal, resulting in a conviction for stalking in April 2005. In one email he told the woman his "life's ambition is now to destroy you and your family"; in another he warned her if he didn't get a job she would "die bitch like me a slow death you ignorant incompetent bitch". Mr Harris, who was sentenced to two years' probation for the stalking but had no conviction recorded, successfully appealed his deregistration in the Brisbane District Court in September last year. Judge Hugh Botting found that while the emails were inexcusable, they were uncharacteristic.

The Courier-Mail yesterday repeatedly requested an interview with Queensland College of Teachers director John Ryan but was told he was unavailable. In a five-line statement, Mr Ryan said the college's board had "reluctantly" withdrawn their appeal after taking "comprehensive legal advice". A spokeswoman from the college declined to answer specific questions about the case yesterday, including whether Mr Harris was currently registered to teach or whether they would be taking any further action. A search of their public register of teachers showed no record of Mr Harris.

Queensland Council of Parents and Citizens Association president Brett Devenish said he believed the average parent would have concerns about the case. "He has legal rights but students have also got a legal right to be safe in their learning environment," he said. An Education Queensland spokesman said Mr Harris was not currently employed in a Queensland state school. He said anyone who applied to teach in a state or non-state school was subject to a rigorous screening process. Mr Harris could not be contacted for comment yesterday.

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