'Fundamentally incompatible': Drunk preschool teacher banned from profession

Early childhood teacher Claire Iddon admitted to habitually drinking two bottles of wine at night and sometimes in the early morning to help her sleep.

But when she arrived at Kindercare Learning Centre in Aotea, Porirua, impaired by alcohol, and another time smelling of it after a lunch break, other teachers complained.

Now Iddon’s teaching registration has been cancelled by the Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal after she was found guilty of committing serious misconduct.

In a decision publicly released today, tribunal chair Jamie O’Sullivan said Iddon’s conduct, namely being impaired by alcohol while supervising young children, was “fundamentally incompatible with the responsibilities of a teacher”.

“There is no evidence before the tribunal of insight, remorse, or steps taken towards rehabilitation.

“In these circumstances, the tribunal cannot be satisfied that a lesser penalty would adequately protect the public or maintain confidence in the profession.”

According to the decision, the tribunal heard from several staff members at the centre regarding two incidents.

They said that on October 12, 2022, Iddon returned from her lunch break visibly shaken and disclosed she had been involved in a minor car accident.

One teacher observed Iddon’s hands trembling and noted a smell of alcohol on her breath during a subsequent interaction.

A centre supervisor saw Iddon standing in the playground staring into the distance and not engaging with the children as expected for a supervising teacher.

Standing next to her, the teacher noticed the smell of alcohol, which she realised was coming from Iddon after helping a child nearby.

During their interaction, Iddon was not engaging in conversation, gave short responses, and seemed withdrawn and incoherent, with the teacher describing the interaction as “bizarre”, the tribunal was told.

Days later, on October 17, two teachers separately reported that Iddon again smelled of alcohol.

Centre director, Ailish Brady, called Iddon into her office that morning, and during their meeting, Iddon admitted to drinking wine the previous night, and at 2am. She said she did so to help her sleep.

Iddon described her drinking as medicinal and a coping mechanism, stating she drank most nights and sometimes in the early morning.

Brady noted Iddon was visibly trembling and emotionally distressed.

Brady told the tribunal that a wellbeing plan was put in place because of ongoing concerns about Iddon’s mental health and boundary issues, including out-of-hours phone calls to the centre.

The plan included access to counselling and mental health services. Brady stated Iddon had previously alluded to past substance abuse, though not specifically alcohol.

Brady described Iddon as a “capable and caring teacher when well”, but noted her engagement and attendance were inconsistent. Staff found her unpredictable, and she often kept to herself.

The centre made a complaint to the Complaints Assessment Committee (CAC).

In her responses to the CAC investigation, Iddon denied the allegations, described them as “baseless”, and requested to be left alone.

But she said she regularly consumed two bottles of wine each evening.

The tribunal ruled Iddon’s limited responses likely meant that she did not accept the allegation of impairment at work on October 12 and 17, 2022, and that she disputed the characterisation of her drinking habits, though acknowledged regular evening consumption.

The tribunal found the witnesses’ evidence was consistent.

All three described behaviour from Iddon that appeared unusual - shaking, the apparent smell of alcohol, being rattled, upset, tired, withdrawn, and disengaged.

“The presence of alcohol impairment in an early childhood setting is a serious breach of professional standards, as it directly compromises the safety and wellbeing of young children in Ms Iddon’s care,” O’Sullivan wrote in the decision.

“The tribunal is satisfied that the evidence meets the requisite standard of proof for impairment on this date.”

Iddon’s registration was cancelled and she was censured for serious misconduct.

She was ordered to pay $17,300 to the CAC in costs and $8524 in tribunal costs to the Teaching Council.

A Kindercare spokesperson said it encouraged teachers to hold one another accountable for what they see, hear and experience.

“We are grateful to our team members who, noticing concerning behaviour, acted with integrity by reporting this to their centre leaders so that appropriate investigation and action could be promptly taken.”

Brianna McIlraith is a Queenstown-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the lower South Island. She has been a journalist since 2018 and has had a strong interest in business and financial journalism.