Warning: This story contains details readers may find disturbing
An Auckland teacher filmed herself urinating in classrooms, on a student’s property, and masturbating, to post on a pornographic website.
Details of her behaviour have been revealed in a recently released Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal ruling, which found Lisa Marie Edmondson committed serious misconduct over several years, where she capitalised on her position to create explicit content for personal gain. The tribunal cancelled her registration.
In a statement to Stuff, Edmondson - who is now a Women’s Health Specialist - said she “had no choice but to accept the ruling”.
“During a two-year period which covers this time I was suffering from extreme anxiety, I can’t explain why I did it other than self sabotage and treating myself badly for things that had happened. By the time it was reported, I really did not even remember and hadn’t done anything else.”
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Edmondson said she regretted her actions, and that she had lost a job she loved, as well as the respect of her colleagues.
“I carried out actions that [are] beyond my beliefs and values. I have let down so many people. With the loss of income, I can’t provide for my kids like I was able to. My whole life and my kids’ lives changed because of actions I did,” she said.
“I can’t change what I have done, but can make sure it never happens again... I would also point out that this has made me get the psychological support I have needed.”
Explicit videos recognised by member of public
According to the ruling, the deputy principal at Edmondson’s initial school (the school has been granted permanent suppression) were alerted to videos in May 2023 by a member of the public.
The member of the public had seen a group of people laughing at a TikTok video and recognised that it had been recorded at the school.
Subsequent searches of a pornographic platform identified an account belonging to Edmondson containing more than 30 explicit videos.
One video showed a person urinating on the floor of a classroom, while another depicted urination on a hat in a lost property box with a student’s name clearly visible.
The deputy principal identified Edmondson’s voice and clothing in the videos.
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Ongoing smell of urine
During Edmondson’s time at the school there was an ongoing urine smell in some of the classrooms, the summary of facts from the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal ruling said.
The urine smell was around the time a classroom block reopened after refurbishment, and initially the smell was assumed to be coming from rats and mice.
But bait stations during the school holidays didn’t trap any rodents.
Cleaners carried out a deep clean over the Christmas holidays and the smell was eradicated. But, the smell returned the following year in Term 1 as Edmondson had resumed teaching full time at the school.
According to the tribunal, Edmondson took no part in the investigation other than responding to a draft report in September 2023. She said she “did not repeatedly make pornographic content in the classroom and did not urinate in one of the classrooms as alleged or on the school lost property box”. She said she had staged one of the videos to make it look like she was at school.
The tribunal noted that students were likely to have been adversely affected due to the ongoing urine smell in classrooms that required deep cleaning. The fact Edmondson used property with a student’s name on was a “deliberate and disrespectful act”, the tribunal said.
“Even if that student is unaware, the use of the school and identifiable student property to create pornography has the potential to cause distress or other negative feelings in students, staff, and the school community.”
The tribunal found Edmondson’s conduct was “fundamentally incompatible” with professional standards, and that she had used school premises for personal gain in a “socially and culturally offensive” manner.
Edmondson resigned from her first school in May 2023 after being notified of the formal investigation.
When applying for a fixed-term position at a second school shortly after, she was dishonest about her recent employment history and failed to mention she was the subject of a Teaching Council investigation.
Edmondson acknowledged she was not the role model she should have been and accepted her teaching career had ended, the ruling noted.
Her lawyer submitted that mental wellbeing issues mitigated her actions, but the tribunal found the evidence insufficient to establish a causative link to the misconduct.
Suppression orders
Edmondson’s mental health issues were also raised in regards to her application for permanent name suppression. She was concerned publication would risk exacerbate her symptoms.
Elena Mok, acting on behalf of the Complaints Assessment Committee, opposed the application and said the mental health issues raised did not establish a causative link to her behaviour and Edmondson had shown little real insight into her actions.
Mok also raised Edmondson’s intention to work in health which gave “rise to a heightened interest in her name being published.”
The tribunal acknowledged the potential for embarrassment and upset, however said there was legitimate public interest in transparency of the proceedings, the protection of the public and right to know the nature of the charges.
The tribunal ordered the cancellation of Edmondson’s registration and issued a formal censure. She was ordered to pay $3255.87 towards the CAC’s costs and $582 to the Teaching Council.
Permanent non-publication orders were granted for the names of the affected schools, staff members, students, and the specific online platforms and usernames involved to protect the victims and the reputation of the institutions.