A Sydney school rocked by a teacher sex scandal is now the subject of a long-running misconduct investigation.
The NSW Department of Education has been carrying out an investigation into a Blue Mountains high school and possible “misconduct” by staff for the last 15 months.
A letter from a NSW Education official sighted by News Corp Australia stated that a Professional and Ethical Standards investigation into Katoomba High School was underway.
The school was engulfed in a sex scandal in 2019 after it was discovered a male teacher was having sex with a student before the man was jailed.
Gavin Malcolm Duncan was sentenced to 15 months in prison, with a seven-month non-parole period, for having sex with a 17-year-old student.
In mid-2019 rumours began spreading through the school and he stood down after confessing to a fellow teacher, who contacted police.
Though the new investigation is believed to be examining a different matter involving a female pupil.
In the letter sent in late 2020, the department said that it was examining whether any staff member at the school had engaged in “misconduct”.
“I can now advise you that a PES investigation has commenced into this matter and will be examining whether any staff member at Katoomba High School have engaged in misconduct,” the letter from a department official to a parent said.
The letter also stated that it was expected the investigation would take six to nine months to complete, though it could take longer if external agencies such as the police were involved.
A NSW Education spokesperson would not comment on the matter when contacted by News Corp Australia or the scope of the allegations being investigated.
“As proceedings are ongoing, it’s not appropriate to comment,” a NSW Education spokesperson said.
A separate letter from the Public Education Foundation from December 2021, also seen by News Corp Australia, also references the investigation and confirms it is underway.
“We appreciate your time and salute your courage in managing such a traumatic situation for you and your family,” the letter from the Public Education Foundation to the family said.
Last week a Katoomba parent formally complained to the NSW Ombudsman about the Department of Education and education minister Sarah Mitchell’s failure to finish the investigation in a timely manner.
“Given the very serious incidents being investigated by the Department of Education, they should have completed this investigation in a very short period of time,” the parent said.
“Their failure to do so has put the safety of female pupils at risk at Katoomba High School.”
It’s understood the family have retained a high-profile Sydney law firm to represent them in their complaint.
In June 2020, Duncan was jailed for having sex with a female student after pleading guilty to three counts of having sexual intercourse with a person in his care.
The Penrith District Court heard that he gave the teen his phone number and had sex with her at his Glenmore Park home.
On one occasion he told the girl to wear a skirt to school the next day so he could “f**k her in the classroom”, the court heard at the time.
They carried on a relationship after the girl had turned 18 and until she graduated.
In a victim impact statement delivered during his sentence proceedings, the girl told the court that she had endured suicidal thoughts and anxiety in the wake of the incidents.
