Teacher Sacked For ‘Inappropriate Joke’ At £60k-A-Year School Found Dead
A teacher accused of making an ‘inappropriate joke’ on a school trip was later sacked and took his own life, reports MailOnline.
John Wright, 54, taught physics for a decade at £60,000-a-year Marlborough College – one of the most prestigious independent schools in the country which counts Kate Middleton among its former pupils.
Wright was sacked over the summer while on an exchange trip to Malaysia and Singapore, where he allegedly made an off-hand comment as he got off at a metro stop with a group of students.
The comment that led to Wright’s dismissal? He said to a pupil: “No gum, no gays.”
This was in reference to chewing gum being banned in Singapore and homosexuality being illegal in Malaysia. Imagine losing your job over something so tame?
A source with knowledge of the trip told MailOnline: ‘He said some other things, but none as bad as that. John was a lovely teacher and friend. He was known for making flippant comments and would often do that in front of pupils and senior teachers. But he didn’t mean any offence, it was just him being cheeky and silly.’
A few months after his sacking, Wright’s body was found by wife Rachel at the family home in Marlborough, Wiltshire, a ten-minute walk from the college, on November 3. He had hung himself.
Marlborough College insisted that Wright was sacked for serious ‘inappropriate conduct’ which led to an internal disciplinary hearing, but his family say that all he did was make a few ‘innocuous comments’. His family also say he was suspended without warning, despite having a clean employment record.
Additionally, the family say that the college failed to listen to other teachers on the trip who defended Wright and praised his conduct.
A source close to the family said: ‘The way John was treated was outrageous. These were not offensive comments. Perhaps you could say they were inappropriate, but they shouldn’t have led to his sacking. We would want the inquest to focus on the college’s conduct that led to his state of mind that drove him to suicide. The school needs to examine its safeguarding and disciplinary process.’
The family have not been given any details on how the internal investigation was conducted or the exact nature of comments allegedly made by Wright. Well, shame on them and shame on the parents/students who brought it up in the first place and blew the whole thing out of proportion.
If Marlborough College has any information to the contrary, they better share it, because as of now it seems like Mr. Wright was a cool teacher who made a flippant remark and paid for it with his job and ultimately his life.
Surely there has to be more to the story, right? I guess we we’ll find out.
For the teacher who prompted outrage after wearing her ‘clubbing’ outfit in the classroom, click HERE.
