Teacher Loses Certification After Allegations of Recording Explicit Content on School Grounds
The Teacher’s Disciplinary Tribunal also alleged that she failed to inform another employer that she had been under investigation
A teacher in New Zealand has had her teaching certification revoked following allegations that explicit material was recorded on school property. The decision was made by education authorities after reviewing the case and determining that the situation violated professional standards.
On Tuesday, March 10, the New Zealand Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal released the details of the 2024 case involving a teacher, Lisa Edmondson, who was found guilty of misconduct.
The tribunal alleged in its case file that Edmondson “created pornographic material on school grounds” on at least one occasion and posted it online.
The tribunal’s investigation into Edmondson began after a deputy principal at the school she had been working at — which was not identified — was approached by a member of the public who informed them that they “had seen a group of people laughing at a video on TikTok,” and recognized that it had been recorded at the school.
The informant further explained that when they had searched for the account name, they were directed to a “website where users can post and view pornographic content.” They then played the video for the deputy school principal, which showed a person talking “about having a full bladder” and recording “themselves urinating on the floor inside a classroom” with “female genitalia” clearly “visible,” per the case file.
The deputy school principal “instantly recognized” the classroom and identified the voice and clothing in the video as those belonging to Edmondson, per the tribunal. They were also shown a video of a female, who was identified as Edmondson by her voice, “urinating on a hat in a lost property box.”
The deputy principal informed the school’s principal what they had discovered, and Edmondson “was placed on paid leave.”
The school’s principal asked its IT provider to further investigate and flag any data related to the incident. The IT provider noted that they found an account belonging to Edmondson, “which had over 30 pornographic videos and several pornographic photographs on its home page.” Three of the videos had “school-related names.”
Edmonson was given notice of a formal investigation in May 2023 and resigned from the school. After the incident, the tribunal further alleged that she failed to disclose this information to another school, at which she subsequently gained employment.
In response to the investigation, Edmondson said that she “did not repeatedly make pornographic content in the classroom” and denied urinating on school property. She claimed that she had “staged one of the videos to make it look like she was at school,” per the tribunal.
She also alleged that she had made the video during a time when she “was suffering from anxiety, depression and other personal difficulties,” and deleted the videos after they were discovered by the school to “prevent further harm or damage.”
Edmondson also denied lying to the second school she worked at, noting that “she believed she was required to keep the report confidential under the terms of her resignation,” per the case file.
The tribunal ultimately determined that Edmondson “capitalised on her position as a teacher and her access to school spaces in a manner that would be offensive to many,” and that, along with having her teaching certification revoked, she would be subject to fines.
