VIC False Accusations by School - Sue for Defamation?

[Robert M]

Hello,

I'm from Australia and yesterday I was accused of watching inappropriate videos with students whilst I was on placement at a school. I deny these claims 100%.

The student was viewing videos on a substitute teacher's laptop and I might have happened to look over and look straight away for 1 second.

I am not a teacher at this school, I am a pre-service teacher still at university, this happened during placement rounds.

I feel personally violated by this incident and seek an apology and am considering suing for defamation by the teacher and the school. I believe this has hurt my reputation in the community and the school.

What recommendations can you give me?

Thank you

 

[MartyK]

Part of teacher training involves learning how to manage the classroom environment and student behaviours. It is an expectation that student teachers will adhere to school policies during placements.

You viewed the content briefly and knew that the content was inappropriate. Did you ask the student to cease viewing it and report it to your supervising teacher?

 

[Yevgeni]

Hello,

I'm from Australia and yesterday I was accused of watching inappropriate videos with students whilst I was on placement at a school. I deny these claims 100%.

The student was viewing videos on a substitute teacher's laptop and I might have happened to look over and look straight away for 1 second.

I am not a teacher at this school, I am a pre-service teacher still at university, this happened during placement rounds.

I feel personally violated by this incident and seek an apology and am considering suing for defamation by the teacher and the school. I believe this has hurt my reputation in the community and the school.

What recommendations can you give me?

Thank you

Hi Robert,

Can you please advise whether the "accusation" was published? In that I mean, who was it reported to? Was it by email sent to other staff or were you simply accused of it in person? To how many people was it reported to?

 

[Sophea]

Hi Robert, check out these articles on defamation:

Have You Been Defamed? What You Need to Know About Defamation Law in Australia - Legal Blog - LawAnswers.com.au
Defences to Defamation in Australia - Legal Blog - LawAnswers.com.au