Teaching Council won't update progress of complaints made about MAGA hat teacher

The Teaching Council won't say what course of action has been taken against the Auckland teacher who wore a Make America Great Again hat to a Black Lives Matter rally, citing privacy reasons.

Ethan Aloiai, a primary teacher at Manukau Christian School, sparked widespread outrage when he and his associates wore the controversial hats to the rally in Auckland on June 1.

The hats have come to be a symbol for many of the perceived racist policies, actions and comments of US Present Donald Trump.

Mr Aloiai said he wore the hat to encourage conversation and exchange views with the protesters, and complained after his hat was stolen from him and burned.

After widespread public backlash, with complaints made both to his school and to the Teaching Council, Mr Aloiai published an apology - and has since de-activated his Facebook account.

Manukau Christian School has said only that they are dealing with the matter internally, and did not respond to a query this week asking for an update on the outcome.

The Teaching Council also declined to provide an update on the complaints received, saying that doing so would violate Mr Aloiai's privacy.

"The complaints process is confidential and the Teaching Council is subject to the Privacy Act," a council spokesperson said.

"The Council is not refusing to answer in an attempt at secrecy or to not listen genuinely to complaints.

"The law and our values as an organisation ensures we are fair to both teacher and complainant and use a careful and thorough process.

"While Mr Aloiai's name is public, and indeed has been widely publicised, any council decisions around this matter and the information that informs them are private to the parties involved," the spokesperson said.

The council would only say that "we are satisfied the process is being followed".

"In cases where a teacher's conduct reaches the Disciplinary Tribunal, these hearings are public and tribunal decisions are also published on our website," they said.

"If a complainant is not satisfied with the way in which the complaint is being, or was, dealt with by the teacher's employer, the complainant may take further steps, including referring the complaint to the Teaching Council.

"Teachers are held to an exceptionally high standard - all teachers are committed to upholding the Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession – these and the relevant legislation inform the Council's approach to concerns about teachers' conduct."

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