A former NSW school principal who had a sexual relationship with a student has been identified.
Annabel Doust, had sex with 17-year-old year 12 student Dean Gray while she was principal at Narrabri High, in NSW, in 2013.
Their relationship only came to light after Dean tragically died during a camping trip in 2021.
After his death his mother Cherina discovered thousands of texts between him and Ms Doust revealing details of their three-month relationship.
Ms Doust, who was also a former head teacher at Wee Waa High School, has been banned from working as a teacher following a 12-month investigation by the Department of Education’s Ethical Standards Directorate.
The investigation found “sufficient evidence” that Ms Doust had crossed professional boundaries with Dean during her tenure.
The investigation found inappropriate conversations between Ms Doust and Dean had occurred between April and August 2013 after a Facebook friend request was sent by the teacher.
She has now been placed on a not-to-be-employed list by the department.
Ms Doust has not been charged with any criminal offences by NSW Police.
She was principal of Wee Waa High School when the campus was shut down in 2020 after 50 students and staff became unwell after exposure to mould.
Sarah Mitchell, the then-NSW education minister, praised Ms Doust’s leadership during the challenging time and later visited the region to announce a new high school would be built.
There is no suggestion that Ms Mitchell had knowledge of Ms Doust’s relationship with Dean.
Dean’s parents welcomed Ms Doust’s dismissal, seeing it as a victory for their son.
“I think this is a good outcome – completely appropriate and that she is not to be re-employed. That’s a victory for Dean,” Cherina Gray told the Daily Mail.
“It’s been extremely hard on the family,” her husband Rob added.
“It has been a huge rollercoaster ride for us all – we have had our downs. We felt like the police had let us down regarding the evidence we handed to them.”
They couple added that they felt let down by the police considering the evidence they had provided.
In a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald, NSW Police said Oxley Police District sought legal advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions who advised there was “insufficient admissible evidence to proceed with charges”.