Schoolgirls left 'sick to the stomach' after primary teacher's persistent TikTok messages

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.

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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.

The tribunal found that Spicer recognised teachers were not meant to text children, telling Student A they had to block each other because "teachers can't text kids".

However, after Student A provided the TikTok details for another student, referred to as Student B, Spicer immediately followed the second 11-year-old and began messaging her at 10.16pm.

Student B reported feeling "off" and "sick" after Spicer complimented her hair.

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Even after Spicer told Student B he had to remove her because "teachers aren't really meant to follow kids", he asked her to "promise" to add him back anytime she wanted to chat.

He continued to send unreciprocated messages to her about his family and other random topics after she unfollowed him.

The tribunal stated the messaging had a negative impact on both pupils, who were "inherently vulnerable" and not legally old enough to have TikTok accounts.

Student B avoided Spicer at school and required counselling as a result of the interactions.

"His messages were persistent. His references to not being allowed to message the students because he was a teacher were likely to be confusing to the students as he continued to contact them after telling them this. Both students reported feeling uncomfortable and/or uneasy and 'sick to the stomach'," the tribunal noted.

Spicer, whose practising certificate expired in May 2024, admitted the charge of serious misconduct.

In a statement to the tribunal, he said he mistakenly thought keeping his TikTok account open would help him be "more relatable" and help pupils respond better to instructions in the classroom.

He stated he deeply regretted his actions, which went against his training and the online safety curriculum he taught.

The tribunal rejected an application from the Rototuna Primary School Board of Trustees to suppress the school's name, ruling that the principle of open justice outweighed the school's concerns about reputational damage.

Spicer was also ordered to pay $4766.40 in costs.

Permanent non-publication orders are in place for the names and identifying particulars of the students.

This story has been reproduced with permission from Stuff.co.nz.

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