Beauty Point teacher investigated for alleged mistreatment of year 1 class
Aptly named, Beauty Point is one of the loveliest spots in Mosman. But in one classroom at a local school, something ugly may have been unfolding.
Year 1 teacher at Beauty Point Public School Lisa Curvey is accused of repeatedly shoving her young students, pulling chairs out from beneath children and pulling and pushing students to get them in line, at times allegedly tapping them on the head to gain their attention.
Parents of the students are now awaiting the findings of a Department of Education investigation into the allegations.
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Mrs Curvey is also accused of pulling one child by his arm with enough force to lift him into the air in March last year, and pulling one little girl's shoe from her foot then throwing it across the room in April 2018.
The accusations, which are currently being investigated by the Department of Education's Employee Performance and Conduct (EPAC) Directorate, are not limited to the physical.
It is also alleged that the married teacher of many years called her year 1 class "stupid" and "useless".
On other occasions, Mrs Curvey is accused of making "inappropriate" remarks about the six and seven-year-old boys in her class.
She is accused of making reference to their "packages" in August last year.
In October, during an excursion to the zoo, Mrs Curvey is alleged to have pushed a child backwards on his mouth, grabbed several other students by the wrist and stepped on another student's fingers.
Outraged parents at Beauty Point Public School told The Sun-Herald they made numerous complaints about Mrs Curvey to the school and its principal Janelle Warhurst throughout last year, beginning in May 2018.
The allegations were eventually referred to the Department of Education in October after multiple complaints from different parents.
"I was so angry it took them so long to do something about it," one parent said.
EPAC began to investigate the allegations in October. Eight months later EPAC has yet to make a finding.
Emails from the EPAC investigator sent to parents in March and seen by The Sun-Herald say that the investigation is in the "report writing phase" ahead of its submission to the decision-maker.
"The report will then be submitted to the decision-maker. Strategies have been implemented to manage any risk and are oversighted by the NSW Ombudsman," the email read.
Mrs Curvey remains a teacher at the school but was not allocated a class in 2019. She is understood to be covering shifts for other teachers and also working as a specialist maths teacher.
"I don't just want her away from my child. I want her away from all children," a parent at the school said of the decision to retain Mrs Curvey at the school.
Parents are equally angry at the treatment of the matter by the Department of Education, which some have branded "appalling".
"It's taken so long, and she's still at the school. The investigator won't tell us what is happening or even when a decision will be made. It's appalling," said another.
A spokesman for the Department of Education said the matter was under investigation and so it could not comment.
"When allegations of this nature are made, the department undertakes a risk assessment and determines whether or not it is appropriate for a teacher to remain at school," the spokesman said.
Mrs Curvey was contacted for comment.