An Australian teacher accused of playing strip poker with students has been allowed to continue in the profession following an investigation by the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
The 60-year-old, who has not been named, allegedly played strip poker with a group of students at a summer camp and told them “not to be embarrassed” about getting naked.
Although the man hasn’t faced any criminal charges, he was put under investigation by the Victorian Institute of Teaching back in 2015.
Despite some evidence of wrongdoing, the regulatory body branded it a “lack of judgment” and allowed the man to keep his teaching ID.
Internally, the man was asked to stand down from his position at Melbourne’s Camberwell Grammar School, but since then the investigation hasn’t gone any further.
Historical Report Brings Recent Events to Light
In fact, details of the alleged incident have only just come to light thanks to a report by Fairfax Media. The Australian media corporation released a report on a historical sex abuse case at the school back in the seventies.
According to Fairfax Media’s findings, the teacher abused a 12-year-old boy while on a school camping trip. Off the back of this revelation, the strip poker incident was brought to light, which has led some to question whether or not there was a culture of abuse at the elite grammar school.
Of course, this isn’t the first time this year we’ve reported on an incident involving minors and strip poker. Back in October, Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva was accused of playing strip poker with a group of teenagers at the annual Mayor’s Youth Camp.
Not a Good Look for Poker
Dating back to 2015, audio clips of the alleged game seemed to suggest that at least some of the teenagers were naked in the presence of Silva.
Initially set to face felony charges, Silva claimed he was the victim of political sabotage and eventually saw his charges dropped to misdemeanors.
Although neither of the incidents cited have a connection to the poker industry, any mention of the game in a negative context is never good.
While it’s unlikely to give anti-poker advocates much ammunition, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that stories like this may come back to haunt us in the future.
