Teacher's Bid to Reclaim Job After Inappropriate Behavior Ruling

A former Adelaide teacher has lost a bid to regain employment with the South Australian Department for Education after the state's registration board found he engaged in "improper and disgraceful" behaviour toward women. In a ruling published last week, the South Australian Employment Tribunal upheld the department's decision to terminate the employment of former teacher Christopher Asikas. In the judgement, the tribunal's deputy president, Judge Tony Rossi, noted Mr Asikas's "abusive and stalking behaviour" toward a former partner and "boundary issues" during interactions with other women. He said the SA Teachers Registration Board's decision to disqualify Mr Asikas's registration in December 2024 was "correct and preferred". Following the board's decision, the Department for Education terminated Mr Asikas's employment. Mr Asikas, who had been suspended with pay for two years prior to his termination, asked the tribunal to review the department's decision. In his ruling, Judge Rossi said the board's findings included that Mr Asikas "engaged in conduct which was both improper and disgraceful and that he was not at the time a fit and proper person to be registered as a teacher". The ruling noted the board had found Mr Asikas's behaviour "involved ignoring social boundaries and ignoring the wellbeing and safety of women that he seeks to be in a relationship with". According to the judge's findings, Mr Asikas came to the board's attention after he was charged with two counts of aggravated stalking in November 2022. The charges were later withdrawn. The tribunal noted that Mr Asikas "first engaged in inappropriate conduct whilst a student teacher" during a six-week placement at an all-girls college. It found he provided an undertaking to the board in 2015, after admitting he made "inappropriate comments of an overly familiar nature in approximately 91 emails" with students. Mr Asikas admitted to providing the students with his personal email address and making "personal disclosures to them". For that conduct, he was suspended from his studies for three years and ordered to participate in an ethics course. The judge noted his later conduct involved repeatedly contacting a former partner "against her wishes" after a relationship breakdown, including sending an abusive message and causing the woman "harm and fear". 'Inappropriate behaviour' toward women Other allegations noted by the judge, which he said Mr Asikas had admitted, included attending a clothing store where a woman worked and looking at her "for longer than he should have", and similar behaviour towards a woman at another retail store. The ruling noted that Mr Asikas had explained his intention was "to get to know" the women and initiate "friendly communication", but had since realised that it was "inappropriate to approach women like I did whilst they are at work". According to the judgement, Mr Asikas was also verbally reprimanded by a school principal after making a comment about a female colleague at a Christmas party. It noted Mr Asikas had attended multiple sessions with a forensic psychologist and said he was now "far more conscious of how women interpret interactions with men". His lawyer had argued Mr Asikas did not pose a risk to children. The judge said he accepted evidence provided by two forensic psychologists, who found Mr Asikas had "obsessional personality traits" that impacted his behaviour and lack of understanding about how his behaviour affected others. 'Rejected stalker' behaviour The finding noted the psychologists had agreed that "Mr Asikas's behaviour was consistent with the Rejected Stalker type". The judgement noted that Mr Asikas had "accepted that his conduct had been serious enough to warrant deregistration for a time" and that, apart from one allegation, he had accepted the board's findings. It also noted Mr Asikas sought to work in a non-teaching role with the department, or to be placed on leave without pay until he was able to reapply for registration. The judge said Mr Asikas's "boundary issues with women" gave rise to "a concern more broadly in relation to how he has viewed women" and noted that students "may be guided by their teachers in relation to what may constitute socially acceptable behaviour". He said, affirming the board's decision to terminate Mr Asikas's employment, "does not, in itself, bring to an end" to his teaching career. The tribunal also rejected Mr Asikas's request to restrict publication of the decision.