A teacher appointed as the “named guardian” of 200 youngsters is facing a lifetime ban from working with children.
Dayna Dickson-Boath was yesterday struck off the teaching register for sending “graphic” messages about child sex abuse.
The 31-year-old was working at Forres Academy when she sent the messages in the summer of 2014, but the offence did not come to light until she had been appointed acting principal guidance teacher at Elgin High School.
At the town’s sheriff court last year, she was convicted of sending grossly offensive or indecent messages and conversing about child sex abuse with others in August and September 2014.
She was put on the sex offenders’ register and put under supervision for three years.
And yesterday, the General Teaching Council for Scotland suggested her offence was so serious she should be placed on a list of people unfit to work with children in the future.
At a fitness-to-practice hearing, the panel acknowledged that Dickson-Boath – who was not present or represented – had consented to being struck off.
But they decided to refer her case to Scottish Government due to the seriousness of the matter.
In the determination, convener Hugh Paton said: “The panel decided to exercise its discretion to make a referral under section eight of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 in order that Scottish Ministers may consider whether or not the respondent should be barred from working with children or protected adults.
“The panel decided to do so because …the respondent engaged in inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature involving a children or protected adult.”
If the Scottish Government agrees with the GTCS recommendation, Dickson-Boath – who is a qualified geography and modern studies teacher – will be barred from working with children for the rest of her life.
The offences were committed when she was working as additional support teacher at Forres Academy.
But in 2014, she was appointed a named person under the Scottish Government’s controversial scheme to provide every child under 18 with a “state guardian”.
However, it was not until she was promoted to acting principal guidance teacher at Elgin High that the offences came to light, and she was immediately suspended.
Married Dickson-Boath was also the child protection officer for the Aberdeen and District Motor Club.
During the trial, Sheriff John Halley said the messages she sent contained “graphic detail” and that her crime had a “significant sexual aspect”.
The named person scheme is due to be rolled out nationally later this year, with the intention of appointing a state official for every child in Scotland.
Critics have previously labelled the controversial scheme a “groomers’ charter”, as it gives those in the position access to a child’s private data and responsibility for judging how they are raised by their family.
But last night a Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The named person will typically be a head teacher, guidance teacher or health visitor who is already known to the family.
“Anyone working in these roles are always subject to criminal checks through the protecting vulnerable groups scheme. We are unable to comment on individual cases.”
A Moray Council spokesman declined to comment and said it was a matter for the GTCS.