Dilworth teacher Paul Artus loses registration over conduct towards students

Dilworth teacher Paul Artus had already been given a final warning for becoming too close to a 14-year-old boy when he told another student he loved him and let him sleep in his bed.

Artus, a classics teacher at the private Auckland boarding school, also told the student that in Ancient Greek times, sexual intimacy between older males and younger males was considered normal.

Artus' conduct was recently referred to the Teachers' Disciplinary Tribunal, which convened in June this year to hear the case against him. Today, it published its ruling opting to cancel his teaching registration, though his licence lapsed in 2021.

According to the summary of facts published in the ruling, Artus formed an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student in 2000 when he was 36 and the housemaster for Armagh House.

"I consider you like a boyfriend," he said in an email to the student in 2000. "No matter how much, or how little, I want you in my life. I want to grow old knowing you. Knowing who you are and what you are doing."

He also travelled with the boy overseas, bought him gifts and discussed his personal life with him.

The school was made aware of the relationship and investigated. Despite a sub-committee of the school's board finding Artus had engaged in serious misconduct and recommended dismissing him, the full board opted to keep him employed as a person with a limited authority to teach (LAT).

It also stripped him of his housemaster responsibilities and told him any further misconduct would lead to his instant dismissal.

The matter was also referred to the Teachers' Registration Board, which decided not to cancel his LAT after accepting his explanations for the comments he made and that he "pulled away from the friendship" when he realised he was "feeling inappropriate emotions of closeness and a certain dependence" on the student.

However, that process did little to deter Artus, who went on to develop a close relationship with a Year 11 student at the school.

Artus visited the student at work and would drive him home, holding hands in the car and communicating with him frequently outside of school hours. He also told the student he loved him and that in Ancient Greek times, sexual intimacy between older males and younger males was considered normal.

The same year, Artus also moved into a flat with three former Dilworth students, aged between 18 and 20, where the student would visit him often. After a night of heavy drinking, Artus slept in the same bed as the student.

'Cease all contact'

The headmaster at the time, Donald McLean, wrote to Artus in 2002 and advised him to cease all informal friendly contact with the student - and he kept his job and remained at the school until 2020.

A complaint was recently made to the Teaching Council, which investigated Artus' conduct in relation to a student he told about the disciplinary process against him and against the Year 11 student. His conduct against the first student had already been investigated by the school and by the Teachers' Registration Board in 2000.

Artus told a Professional Conduct Committee of the Teaching Council investigating his historical behaviour that he was feeling depressed, isolated and lacking support while the first incident in 2000 was being investigated.

He said there was a student-led movement to support him and several of his pupils were concerned about his wellbeing, which is how the contact between them started.

He acknowledged he did flat with three former students and said they were a huge support to him - but denied being involved in drinking or drug-taking at the flat with them.

Artus told NZME today the tribunal's finding was a mixture of fact and fiction that he felt powerless to do anything about.

"I dedicated my life to Dilworth. Thirty-four years in total," he said.

"For the last 20 years I was an outstanding teacher. I achieved results unheard of at Dilworth School, including five scholarship passes in one year. I was a leader in my subject field, writing textbooks used by most schools in New Zealand. I loved classical studies. I loved teaching.

"In the end they find I am of bad character from events that happened 24 years ago. All of those events were interconnected and with much of it I felt I had no control. But for the next 20 years I set out to prove that I was a person of good character."

When asked why he pursued a relationship with the Year 11 student when he had been served a final warning from the school, Artus said he did not view it as a relationship.

"He was my biggest supporter when I was going though hell," he said.

The tribunal ultimately found Artus' conduct was at the higher end of inappropriate behaviour from a teacher.

"We have no hesitation in finding that the referral is made out, in that Artus is not of good character and not fit to be a teacher," its ruling reads.

"In doing so we do not ignore that this was all some time ago. The mere passage of time, however, is not sufficient to remedy our concerns over such a significant set of conduct."

The tribunal said it took into account the fact Artus had not had any further issues and had dedicated himself to his work as a classics teacher.

"It is obvious he has discharged his role with passion and has positively influenced many students in his teachings. It is unfortunate that we are faced with now having to make such serious findings against him, with all of that good work done."

Artus had his teaching registration cancelled and was ordered to pay $12,000 in legal costs.

Dilworth has come under fire in recent years for historical sexual offending by teachers against students - and the lack of action it took at the time.

Last year an independent inquiry found more than 100 students were abused by staff over a period of nearly 70 years. It also found the board knew about abuse dating back as far as the 1950s but did not investigate complaints properly, did not report most of it to the police and allowed known abusers to quietly leave the school with their careers intact - sometimes with a glowing reference.

- This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.