Key Takeaways:
- Mark David Rowley, a 56-year-old teacher, sent lewd messages to a pupil between May and October 2022.
- The messages included discussions of personal matters, flirtatious comments, and requests for photos.
- Rowley has been prohibited from teaching indefinitely due to his actions.
- The school, Hazel Wood High School, has stated that the safety and wellbeing of pupils is their highest priority.
- Rowley has 28 days to appeal the decision.
Introduction to the Incident
The incident involved Mark David Rowley, a teacher at Hazel Wood High School, who began working at the school in September 2013. A teacher misconduct panel hearing was held to address allegations of inappropriate behavior by Rowley towards a pupil, referred to as Pupil A. The allegations included sending lewd messages to the pupil between May and October 2022. The messages were found to be sexually motivated and demonstrated a clear breach of professional boundaries.
The Nature of the Messages
The messages sent by Rowley to Pupil A were highly inappropriate and included comments about the pupil’s attractiveness. Rowley also shared a handwritten letter with the pupil, which initiated a sexually motivated relationship. The messages extracted from Rowley’s phone during a police investigation revealed a pattern of behavior that was both flirtatious and harassing. Rowley asked Pupil A to send him a photograph while they were in a towel and stated that he "loved" them. The pupil, understandably, felt uncomfortable and scared by Rowley’s advances, and eventually blocked him on multiple occasions.
Pupil A’s Response
Pupil A’s response to Rowley’s messages was clear and direct. In an email dated August 28, 2022, the pupil told Rowley that they were "starting to scare the sh*t" out of them. The pupil also stated that they had blocked Rowley multiple times and that he had created alternative accounts to continue messaging them. Pupil A made it clear that they did not want to engage with Rowley in a personal or sexual manner, and that their only reason for unblocking him was to discuss their grades, as he was their teacher.
Rowley’s Response and Suspension
Rowley’s response to Pupil A’s email was dismissive and unrepentant. He claimed that he had created alternative accounts to test whether the pupil had a problem with him, and showed no remorse for his actions. Following his suspension in June 2022, Rowley asked Pupil A to destroy the letter he had sent them, stating that it would be "embarrassing/dangerous" if someone else found it. He also deleted his TikTok account to remove the messages between them. Rowley’s actions demonstrated a clear attempt to cover up his behavior and avoid accountability.
The Panel’s Findings
The teacher misconduct panel found that Rowley’s messages demonstrated a clear breach of professional boundaries and a sexually motivated relationship with Pupil A. The panel also found that Rowley had applied pressure on Pupil A to influence their account to the police and had sought to protect his own position. Rowley admitted to deleting messages because he "knew that it was wrong and he could get into trouble." However, the panel found that he showed no genuine remorse for his actions.
Consequences and Outcome
As a result of the panel’s findings, Rowley has been prohibited from teaching indefinitely. This means that he is not allowed to teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation, or children’s home in England. Rowley has 28 days to appeal the decision. The school, Hazel Wood High School, has stated that the safety and wellbeing of pupils is their highest priority, and that they have a strong culture of safeguarding in place. The school also stated that they fully cooperated with the relevant authorities throughout the investigation.
Conclusion
The incident involving Mark David Rowley is a serious breach of professional boundaries and a clear example of inappropriate behavior by a teacher towards a pupil. The consequences of Rowley’s actions are severe, and he has been prohibited from teaching indefinitely. The school’s response to the incident demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding and the wellbeing of pupils, and highlights the importance of maintaining professional boundaries in educational settings.
