The thin blue line; when will instructions to staff about after hours conduct be lawful and reasonable

In Michael King v Catholic Education Office Diocese of Parramatta (2014) FWCFB 219, a high school teacher was found by the Fair Work Commission to have deliberately disobeyed the directions of his employer not to transport students of the school in his car outside of school hours. In the midst of allegations being thrown about of child sexual abuse the school argued that it had a legitimate interest in the interactions between its teachers and students both inside and outside of the school and wished to avoid teachers being placed in potentially compromising positions. A Full Bench found that the school had a duty of care to protect students from the wrongful conduct, including teachers, and that this duty was not confined to school hours. Because of this, the Commission concluded that the directions of the school were therefore reasonable and lawful and that a failure to comply with them could constitute a valid reason for dismissal.