Do I tell the school about this teacher's past?

[Friendoffoxes]

Longtime lurker here. A new teacher has joined my DC's school. It is a secondary and the subject she teaches is not one DC has chosen for options, so won't be teaching DC. I have only seen her on the website, so not come across her yet. Also I am married, so she wouldn't recognise me if she sees school related stuff with my name or DC's name. DH works from home so he does any pick ups if necessary, but DC normally takes the bus. Obviously I go to school stuff like performances, parents evenings, but do not get involved in PTA stuff or helping (dons Mumsnet hard hat)

I was a student with her and shared a house. She ended up stealing a significant amount of money (for a student) from me and two other people and when confronted tried to deny it and then tried to blackmail one of us (said she would tell everybody he had raped her-rubbish) if he would keep quiet about the money she had taken from him, and said the other two of us had agreed the money she had taken was a loan.

While we were dealing with this sh*t it emerged (don't want to go into details, but we started digging a bit) and she got expelled from a school because of bullying when she was younger. Also, her family got a shoplifting charge dropped (independent shop). Anyway, we decided to go to the police. We told her we would, if we didn't get the money back. Next thing we know, her family are on the phone, we have our money back with a nice generous extra added on top, on the condition we don't make any fuss.

We took it, we were young, trying to get on with our lives after graduating, skint.

Obviously she's passed a criminal check, but I'm horrified that she is working in a school. What do I do? do I have a quiet word with the school?

I am not sure why you are still holding onto this, did you not do anything daft when you were young?
To be fair threatening to accuse an innocent person of rape to get out of paying them back money is a bit more than "daft."

I’m the kind of gal that would meet privately with the HT, to share the story in case anything “strange” comes up.

You sound like the “kind of gal” who’s a complete bitch.

I'm a teacher. In my teens- early 20s I used to shop lift, I did drugs, i slept around, I even drove under the influence of a little weed once. Does this affect me being a teacher- no it doesn't.

I've been a nursery teacher, school teacher, taught in a prison and am now a lecturer. I've changed countless lives but yes, I did things before becoming a teacher that would have got me a criminal record had I been caught.

Some of you are saying she shouldn't be a teacher. I disagree. She hasn't done anything that would affect her being a teacher. Her crimes do not relate to children/vulnerable adults and are therefore irrelevant.

She's clearly turned her life around. That actually makes her a good role model now.

I've NC'd by the way.

You sound thoroughly malicious. What line of work are you in OP? Maybe someone should "have a quiet word" with your employer about you accepting a bribe to cover up a crime?

To be fair threatening to accuse an innocent person of rape to get out of paying them back money is a bit more than "daft."

I suppose you think that covering up a crime after accepting a bribe is a bit more than "daft" too then.

The point I am trying to make is that this is probably just daft behaviour, things said and not meant, we probably don't know the full story, but the FACT is that no crime was committed, so 20 years later you think the OP would just be able to move on.

Not this again. It gets more repeats than something on Dave.

While we were dealing with this sht it emerged (don't want to go into details, but we started digging a bit) and she got expelled from a school because of bullying when she was younger. Also, her family got a shoplifting charge dropped (independent shop).*

The only possible source of this 'information' is gossip from a third-party, since it's nothing like the sort of thing that could be found from newspaper articles or publicly available records. So basically you want to tell the school some third-hand gossip about what their employee did as a child?

The threatening to make a false allegation of rape, and blackmail, would worry me a lot more than the stealing. Let's hope she has changed.

But as previous posters have said, not sure there's an awful lot you can do about it.

Agreed Tess

This again?

This again
Let it go OP

You have no proof. You'll just come across like some kind of Jeremy Kyle troublemaker if you take this to the school. They can't act in it so why bother

It's rumour and hearsay.
Not saying what you're saying isn't true, but it's historic with no evidence. You can't just call up the school and say you shouldn't employ this person because when they were younger they did x y z.

I've never touched drugs. Never appealed to me. I know a number colleagues who have done and I can think of a couple who still enjoy the occasional spliff. If they get caught that's their risk but it doesn't make them a worse teacher.

I can't help but feel you're seeing an opportunity for some payback here.

Either there's some amount of teachers out there who have been dodgy when younger, a good few people who will happily overlook their complicity in a 'crime' or I've got de ja vue!

I'm sure I've read this one before too. Or very similar. Is this the friend who stole and spent money on your debit cards? If I'm right then you do seem to be a bit obsessed with this woman, constantly trying to find a way to get revenge in some way. Let it go, for your own sanity. If I'm wrong, apologies, but something very similar has been posted here a few times now!

How is any of her past a danger to her pupils? Do you think she’ll be teaching them how to steal?

omg i thought it was just me who finds this story familiar... obv not!.now very curious to know if its same poster..

Yes @Roomba! That's the one I remember! (well one of!)

I'd let it go.

I was a bit horrified when I started a security cleared job in defence and there was a bloke there whom I knew had had a heroin problem years before (friend of a friend) and gone mental one evening so my friend broke contact, then metaphorically shrugged my shoulders and though 'ok, you're getting on with your life'.

I never told anyone as I didn't think it was my business. He was skilled at his job. Gave him quite a fright when I started work there though!!

Everybody deserves a clean slate.
People should make up their own minds as to whether they like a person, based on what they know about the person and how they find them, not what you think about them.
If everybody did this (made up their own minds about people) the world would be a nicer place.
You can go spreading gossip and telling tales, but it won't reflect well on you and you could get done for defamation of character.

How many variations of this story do you need to post OP?

There is no evidence to back up what you are saying and she should have a current DBS to be working in a school and will presumably have passed other safer recruitment checks that are carried out prior to appointment.
As such you need to leave alone unless you can substantiate something that you have said. Even then a person is allowed to make a mistake and probably would be given the benefit of the doubt by the school if it came up during their checks, if it is a longtime ago.
If you say anything, especially on social media, then you run the risk of the school taking action against you, because they will quite rightly not take kindly to unsubstantiated comments about one of their members of staff.

Keep your trap shut, or you could end up being sued for slander. (Whether or not your story is true - or twisted to paint you in a better light - you have no proof.)