Teacher banned from teaching after slapping student who laughed at classmate

Aquilina is banned from teaching indefinitely at any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation, or children’s home in England.

A 35-year-old teacher in the United States has been banned from teaching indefinitely after allegedly slapping a student who laughed at a classmate struggling to answer a question. Bernard Aquilina, a computer science teacher at Cove Secondary School in Hampshire, was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct following an internal investigation and disciplinary hearing. He was removed from the school in May 2024 and is now banned from teaching in England.

The incident took place on 5 February 2024(Unsplash/Representational )

According to a report by The Independent, the incident took place on 5 February 2024. The student who was struck told investigators that another student had been called to answer a question after not paying attention, prompting him to laugh. “I laughed because he was struggling. Mr Aquilina came over to me, clapping, saying, ‘Well done.’ He then slapped me on the cheek,” the student said in a statement.

Eight students provided statements that were “largely consistent,” according to the panel’s findings. One student recalled, “I saw Mr Aquilina approach Pupil A and state to him: ‘If you’re being disrespectful, then I can too.’ Pupil A replied: ‘What have I done wrong? I only laughed.’ Mr Aquilina then slapped Pupil A with his open left hand on the left cheek. This was a hard slap and I could hear it loudly from where I was sat.” Notes from CCTV footage reviewed by the panel also supported the students’ accounts.

In its ruling, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel said, “The panel considered that whilst Mr Aquilina had shown some remorse, albeit limited, for his actions, he did not show any insight into his behaviour or engage with the severity of his actions. There was no evidence that Mr Aquilina made an exceptional contribution to teaching.”

Marc Cavey, the decision maker in the case, said, “In my judgement, the lack of evidence that Mr Aquilina has developed full insight into his behaviour means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils.”

Teacher banned from teaching in England

Aquilina, who joined the school in September 2020, is now banned from teaching indefinitely at any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation, or children’s home in England. He may apply to have the ban lifted in September 2029.

In a statement, the panel said that the teacher’s conduct constituted a criminal offence and said that Aquilina had breached his duty of care towards pupils and his obligation to observe appropriate boundaries. “Mr Aquilina’s actions were fundamentally incompatible with his being a teacher, and as such, the panel considered that prohibition was both proportionate and appropriate,” a statement said.

Separately, a spokesperson for Cove School said, “The safety and wellbeing of all pupils is our absolute priority. Any safeguarding concerns relating to staff would always be treated extremely seriously and, as we have done on this occasion, we would always act to ensure the most appropriate course of action is taken, following all necessary processes and working with relevant agencies as required.”

“We are satisfied to see that the outcome of this investigation reflects the seriousness of the individual’s conduct,” they added.