Northland teacher censured after angry outburst at student

A disrupted pupil made Juris George Karklins angry. Photo / Getty Images

A Northland teacher who caused a primary school-aged pupil's head to bang against a wall in an angry outburst has been censured.

The New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal Council found Juris George Karklins guilty of serious misconduct while disciplining a student at Whangarei Primary School in November last year.

On the morning of the incident, Karklins discovered at short notice that he had to provide relief cover for the class from 9am to 10.30am.

Among the class was a student he found "challenging" as he had been disruptive during class.

Part of the discipline procedure was for the student to sit on the staffroom steps during morning tea. However, the student ignored the directive.

The teacher sought advice from the principal who told him to find the student.

The student turned up in his music lesson soon after. Karklins tried to ignore the student but he then lost his temper, forcibly removing him from the classroom.

"He did so by walking up to the student, picking him up, and taking him to the cloak room, where he deposited him on the floor," the tribunal said.

"At this time the student was thrashing around. In the process of being set down on the cloakroom floor, the student banged his head against the wall."

Karklins admitted he acted inappropriately and had lifted the student up "in anger".

In censuring Karklins, who had worked at the school for 28 years, the tribunal imposed a condition on his practising certificate that within six months of the decision he complete a professional development course.

The censure will remain on the teacher's register until his practising certificate expires in April next year.

The council ordered Karklins to pay 50 per cent of the costs of the tribunal and 50 per cent of the costs of the Complaints Assessment Committee.