Former students have come to support of their science teacher who had been sacked for accidentally hitting ‘reply all’ email berating management of the IT department.
Stanislaw Kosiek worked at Brisbane’s Marist College Ashgrove for 22 years until he was fired on August 10 for criticising the ‘big end of town’ and for taking a trip to Bali after he had been stood down.
He has since taken the issue to the Fair Work Commission seeking re-employment, compensation and penalties claiming to have been unfairly dismissed, which has since reached the Federal Court for trial.
Federal Court Judge, Berna Collier, found that Mr Kosiek had properly notified the school of his pre-planned trip to Bali, leaving ‘serious questions’ over the adequacy of his dismissal.
Several of his former students have come forward to vouch for Mr Kosiek as an exemplary teacher with a ‘wealth of knowledge’.
Former students have come to support of their teacher, Stanislaw Kosiek (pictured), who was sacked for accidentally hitting ‘reply all’ email berating management of the IT department
One student, who wished to remain anonymous, told News.com.au that Mr Kosiek was ‘the best science teacher’ at the college who had spent extra time with him to raise his marks from a C+ to an A.
‘Knowing Mr Kosiek since 2015, I can tell you that he has only ever had the best intentions for the education of students and the overall success of the college,’ he said.
‘Every single student of Mr Kosiek will support the statement that Stan is the best science teacher Marist had, best head of house and holds integrity for the college.’
A second student said that he and other students ‘wouldn’t be the same individuals (they) are today’ without his teaching and guidance.
‘He was a well respected and driven leader of the Foley house, and not once did not show any prejudice or distaste for any other members of the community,’ he said.
A third student, who was being taught by Mr Kosiek this school year prior, said his physics class has been disrupted going into the fourth term.
He said it is still unknown as to who would be teaching the class for the final term and doubts they will be able to replicate Mr Kosiek’s ‘ability to pass on his wealth of knowledge’.
Several students claimed Mr Kosiek was the best science teacher at Marist College Ashgrove (pictured) and didn’t ‘show any prejudice or distaste for any other members of the community’
The Federal Court found that Mr Kosiek was dismissed after sending the email which he apologised for two days later.
‘My old recent brain recalls a time (recently) when serious breaches, glitches, minor problems were resolved calmly, professionally and successfully,’ the email sent by Mr Kosiek in February read.
‘Now within the last two years the same long term staff continue to be amazing!
‘However, recently leadership in the IT area has been less than adequate.
‘Continuous leaning on past breaches for excuses for not getting current breaches.
‘We have amazing IT staff but recently the big end of town stop feeding at the pool tuck shop and live up to their $250,000 job.’
A day after the apology, which the head of IT at the school found unsatisfactory, Mr Kosiek was told by the school’s Head of College, Michael Newman, that he had been stood down.
Mr Newman sent Mr Kosiek a five-page email saying his email had ’caused great upset’, and ‘may amount to serious misconduct or bullying’.
‘While it appears to be a ”one-off” communication, it is likely unreasonable, unprofessional and foreseeably could cause upset,’ Mr Newman said.
The end of Mr Kosiek’s career came after he sent an email to a ‘large number of recipients’ after unintentionally hitting reply all. The email was only intended for his union manager
Mr Newman asked Mr Kosiek to address the allegations from his original email, adding it was a potential ‘breach of your own personal statutory obligations to ensure the safety and privacy of children in our care’.
Mr Kosiek’s lawyer said the reference to safety of children was ‘untrue and outrageous’, to which Mr Newman later apologised.
Mr Newman had also stated that Mr Kosiek’s email may have constituted bullying and workplace harassment.
The science teacher was stood down with pay and was then authorised to take sick leave from April 17 to May 28, instead of using long service leave.
During this time he informed the school’s deputy head of college he would be travelling to Bali.
He had booked the trip when he had approved long service leave, and said he had been given medical advice that it was fine for him to travel, and he would be taking leave without pay.
The issue will return to court at a later date if both parties can not come to a compromise.
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