Former Nelson principal censured for drinking at school

The former principal of Victory Primary School, who is now presiding member of the board of trustees at Nelson College for Girls, has been found guilty of serious misconduct for drinking at school, attending meetings while under the influence of alcohol and failing to disclose a drink driving conviction.

Helen Taylor-Young was principal at Victory Primary School for six years before resigning at the end of 2020.

She has now been censured for the serious misconduct that in total was “nearing the more serious end of the scale” according to the decision released by the New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal.

In a set of facts agreed to by Taylor-Young, between 2019 and 6 November 2020 she was under the influence of alcohol while at school and while attending school-related events outside of school.

On 18 September, 2020 she was caught driving with blood alcohol levels that were double the legal limit. Eleven minutes earlier, she had just finished up at a hui with the Board of Trustees after working a full day at school.

On 29 September, she was disqualified from driving for six months, but on 12 October in a meeting with a school board member to discuss concerns around allegations of drinking at school, Taylor-Young said that she was not driving as a health precaution.

On the same day she was disqualified from drinking, she was caught driving her car resulting in a conviction for driving while disqualified. She told the court she thought her disqualification began at midnight.

She did not report her conviction to the school’s board until 6 November, 2020. She also failed to inform the Teaching Council of her conviction, as is required, until 18 November, 2020.

She later resigned from her position as principal. She has been the presiding board member of the Board of Trustees at Nelson College for Girls since 2022.

Deputy presiding member David MacGibbon says the board was previously aware of the historical convictions and the referral to the tribunal but were not privy to the details until the decision was released very recently.

“It’s very fresh so we haven’t had a chance to meet as a board yet, but it would be prudent to consult with Helen and have the conversation,” he said of the way forward.

He says there is no aspect of the issues that would rule her ineligible to be on the board in terms of the Act.

“She’s led the board professionally and diligently and has the support from the board for doing so. Up until now, there’s been no cause for concern.”

David says he can speak for the board in saying not only had Taylor-Young addressed the issues with alcohol but has “worked very hard to get to the place she is today and we admire her for that”.

Taylor-Young was on sick leave between October 2019 and April 2020 for what the Tribunal referred to as an accident and medical event. Further details were redacted.

When discussing the penalty for her actions, the Tribunal said while she “posits significant blame for these events” on that incident, that facts disclosed that the “alcohol problem and conduct was prevalent well before” then.

Before the medical event, staff members had observed her breath smelling of alcohol, on one occasion as early as 7.30am, and another on the morning that the Education Review Office visited the school.

She had been noted to leave meetings frequently to go to the bathroom taking a large handbag with her, went to her car and drank from a bottle she kept there.

At meetings with fellow principals and a conference, she slurred her words was unsteady on her feet, at and was at times “incoherent” as early as lunchtime.

In a meeting with the school’s Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) on 6 November 2020, she accepted the drink driving conviction and advised the board of the charge of driving while disqualified. She stated she “did not comprehend her reporting obligations” due to the medical event the previous year, the Tribunal said.

She denied drinking alcohol at school.

In August 2022, in response to a Complaints Assessment Committee investigation, she did not address the allegation. She then declined to attend the CAC hearing on 3 November 2022 but agreed to the facts.

The Tribunal found “no doubt” that serious misconduct had occurred. It was conduct that could have adversely affected students, and brings considerable disrepute to the profession, it said.

They noted Taylor-Young’s remorse for the position she found herself in.

The Tribunal censured her and said she must not resume teaching until she provided a report from a health practitioner that she is successfully abstaining from alcohol, and an affidavit that she has been doing so for at least six months, and is fit to return to teaching.

It refused her request for permanent name suppression.