Abstract

School teachers routinely work with minors who are vulnerable, though research on teacher professional misconduct is limited. Using a 5-year cohort of cases (N = 325) from New Zealand’s Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal (2018–2022), this study describes tribunal processes and outcomes including types, setting (private/professional) and sector (Early childhood education/primary and secondary education) of the misconduct, pleas, and penalties ordered. Physical violence constituted the most frequent (51.5%) type of misconduct, with early childhood education and female teachers being independently associated with this type of misconduct. Primary/secondary and male teachers were overrepresented in boundary violation misconduct. Misconduct related to criminal convictions was significantly more likely to arise from private life contexts. While professional misconduct is rare, findings from the study point to risk factors in certain settings, and the need for more research to build understanding of risk and remediation approaches after such conduct.