Piangil Primary School has found itself at the centre of a fiasco involving its
parents and citizens council and some members of the wider
community.
Petitions have been circulated, students have departed the school
and residents have made allegations of personal threats being made as a result
of the conflict.
The absence of Piangil Primary School principal Graeme Brown
in recent weeks has caused concern among the wider community and led to
speculation that he may have been stood down.
A spokesperson from the
Department of Education has said in a statement that Mr Brown had “definitely
not” been fired, but some Piangil residents have expressed concern that ongoing
bullying may have been the reason for the principal’s departure.
The
Department of Education’s statement, made last Friday, said: “The principal at
Piangil Primary School is on leave, and acting arrangements are in place for the
time being, with Janene Thompson acting as principal.”
“The department is
working closely with the school and school community to support the school
through this period.”
Gordon resident Robert Marx, who has connections to a
number of families in Piangil, said residents wanted clear answers in relation
to the absence of Graeme Brown at the primary school, and whether he would be
coming back.
“He is on indefinite leave and there’s been no clear, honest
communication from the school council or department as to why,” Mr Marx said.
“The last school council meeting was closed, which prevented community
members from attending or directing questions to the school about Graeme’s
departure.
“Mr Marx said the main concern among the community was that Mr
Brown had been subjected to “a campaign of unrelenting bullying” in the past
year, and had subsequently received a lack of support from the Education
Department in the matter.
He said he was one of four or five people who sent
letters of concern about reports of bullying from the community to the education
department last year.
For more of this story, see Wednesday’s Guardian (May 15).
