A teacher accused of swearing at a pupil and forcefully hitting another with a tennis ball will return to the classroom this year.
The Employment Relations Authority has upheld Paul Meads' claim that he was unjustifiably dismissed by Pukekohe High School.
After the school's board dismissed Mr Meads over those incidents it offered to re-employ him as a fulltime teacher, but without his previous management role of sports coordinator.
The authority has ruled that the dismissal unjustified and ordered Mr Meads' reinstatement to his teaching and sports coordinator positions.
However, it says because he made a major contribution towards the situation that led to his personal grievance, no compensation is payable.
