School board: Fake Tolley letters not political

The letters had Anne Tolley's faked signature attached. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

The board of trustees at Southland's Otatara Primary School has defended a decision to give students fake letters claiming school hours would be extended, saying teachers were not politically driven.

The letters which came complete with Education Minister Anne Tolley's faked signature were given to Year 5 and 6 pupils at the school near Invercargill and said school hours would be extended by an hour next year. They were asked to send a letters to the minister with their reactions.

Board of trustees chairman Justin Reid said today the teachers who came up with he idea were not politically driven.

"It was a curriculum exercise to encourage creative writing with the children and there was certainly no malice intended," Mr Reid told Radio New Zealand.

Copies of the letters were not intended to be given to students and parents were meant to have been told about the illusion before the exercise, he said.

"One was handed out and that's the one that found its way to the minister," he said.

While some mistakes were made it had been successful as a creative writing exercise, he said.

"Mistakes happen and we have apologised to the minister."

Mrs Tolley said last night the letters breached student-teacher trust and she was furious the letters used her name.

"It's unbelievable that teachers would do this to children and I'm angry that the school has used my name," she said.

"Parents and children trust their teachers - in this case that trust has been broken and the school has a lot of work to do to regain it."

Reactions from parents to the letters had been mixed with one telling the Southland Times she thought the letter was politically driven and an attempt to sully Mrs Tolley's name.

It was no coincidence that the exercise happened during pay talks and the implementation of National Standards, she said.

Another parent said too much of an issue had been made and the exercise had been a fantastic way to engage students.

Yesterday, school principal Sharon Livingstone said the letter was a "mistake" and was not meant to go home to parents.

Invercargill police yesterday released a statement saying the letter had been referred to them for inquiry.

- NZPA