The chairman of the Palmerston Primary School board has defended the school in the wake of bullying claims, saying nothing is swept under the carpet. He also called for an audit of bullying in independent and public schools.
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George Villaflorsaid he was stunned by the allegations of bullying at the school over social media and in a recent report in The Canberra Times and said staff create a "safe school environment".
"If I had gotten wind of this we would have helped the parents, but now it's out there, let's do an audit and see what’s happened in the other schools in the ACT, so then parents are at ease," Mr Villaflor said.
Mr Villaflor has invited the ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher and Education Minister Joy Burch to a meeting at the school to discuss the issue on Thursday.
Mr Villaflor said Ms Burch had not responded by 5pm on Tuesday. Opposition education spokesman Steve Doszpot is also likely to meet separately with the board, Mr Villaflor said.
"The school has been left high and dry in defending itself, and that’s the bit I find untenable. I sure wish Ms Burch would hurry up and tell us [if she was coming to the meeting]. Saying nothing inflames the situation," Mr Villaflor said.
Several parents pulled their children out of Palmerston, saying their positive experiences with the school were soured by severe incidents of bullying experienced by their children.
Mr Villaflor said he was not aware of the bullying claims previously and they "might be an isolated incident" adding that "at our school the staff and teachers work hard to maintain the Palmerston pride".
Concerns have also been raised children had been teased because their parents were in a same-sex relationship. Mr Villaflor said that if it was the case it was "just not on" and "anyone who carries on with that sort of stuff" was in the "dark ages".
ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations president Vivienne Pearce said the incident was "unfortunate" and the council would have liked to have talked to the families involved early on.
"Any contact I have had with parents from Palmerston has been very positive, there are so many good things going on in the school. I won't go into who did what, in any dispute resolution it’s not totally black and white," Ms Pearce said.
Ms Pearce said that compared to other places, Canberra is a very safe place. "From my experience kids don’t go around thumping each other every day in our schools," Ms Pearce said.
Jessie-Lee Nolan, whose children were bullied, said most teachers at Palmerston were "absolutely amazing" and her "complaint is that their bullying policy continued to fail my kids".
Ms Nolan said the school responded once her child had been thrown onto the concrete, but she still had to find a new school for her children by herself. "I just so happen to be the first parent that wants something done," Ms Nolan said.
