A parent has come out in support of embattled Rotary Park School principal Carmel Casey, as a group of parents prepare to withdraw their children from the school today.
Mrs Casey has been the focus of allegations of incompetent teaching practices and staff bullying at the school, and parents have threatened to remove their children today as a show of defiance over her return to the school after being on leave for the past six months.
However, a parent, who declined to be named, said much of the controversy surrounding the school had been created by a small group of parents who had "taken it upon themselves" to try to manage the school.
"And if things don't go exactly how they want it, they cause problems," he said.
"We saw this in several different ways from this group, such as them completely ignoring us and some other parents [who] they seemed to decide were not from a high income family - if you get my gist.
"The snobbery factor, I believe, is actually quite a big one in this case, with Mrs Casey no doubt trying to do what her job is - manage the school in her principal's role - which of course may not have met with what this group of parents had decided they wanted.
"And subsequently, the issues that are now occurring seem to us to be more like revenge than anything else."
He said not all parents would be removing their children from the school this morning, as was claimed by a parent on Friday last week.
"We have no plans, just like other parents we have talked to also have no plans, to remove their children.
"It is actually a great little school, with the only issues seeming to come from a small group of mainly snobby parents."
He categorically stated he had no connection with Mrs Casey, but had had much contact with her through school in the first part of last year.
"We never had an issue with her. Neither did our child.
"In fact, from our observations at the last school fair when Mrs Casey arrived to visit, several children ran up to her and hugged her and were almost fighting over who was to hug or talk to her next.
"Rotary Park is an amazing school, and we have never had a problem with it, like many other parents . . .
"I also think it is this small number of troublemakers who are misleading others and causing much of any problems that do exist."
Commissioner Cleave Hay said he had not seen any evidence of "snobbery" or a bid by a select group of parents, to control the school.
