“It has caused lots of anxiety and frustration for my whānau, and I am sure other parents from [school].
“We have felt so disrespected by not being told what is happening.”
They said they were “pretty angry” at the lack of transparency.
Trust depended on authorities “being upfront, telling the truth and not trying to hide behind silence”, they said.
“I don’t trust this school much anymore.”
A spokeswoman for the Teaching Council said the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal made the order to suspend the principal’s practising certificate while an investigation was carried out.
She said this was not indicative of the final outcome but because the matter was ongoing, she could not comment further.
A wide range of suppression orders was also imposed by the tribunal, including the principal’s name, the school and identifying details of any complainants.
The spokeswoman said it was a “sensitive matter” and urged consideration of the wellbeing of those involved.
The Teaching Council would not confirm when the man’s practising certificate was suspended, the nature of any complaint received or whether a hearing had been scheduled.
“As this matter is ongoing, we are unable to comment on the individual case, including the circumstances or timeline, this is to ensure we uphold privacy and natural justice.”
The current acting principal declined to comment when approached by the Herald this week.
She said they had “people working on that” when asked about the principal’s absence and why she could not comment.
The presiding member of the school board also declined to comment when approached this week.
A police spokesperson said there were no active investigations.
A Ministry of Education spokesperson said they had not been briefed on the principal’s absence, nor had they been asked to support the school.
The principal has been approached for comment.
Rachel Maher is an investigative reporter covering Auckland issues and education. She started at the Herald as a breaking news journalist in 2022, before joining the Auckland team this year.
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