Embattled Hillcrest Christian College on the Gold Coast cancels crisis meetings with parents

A strife-torn southeast Queensland Christian college has abruptly cancelled a series of crisis meetings with parents that were called in a bid to allay widespread concerns about what is happening at the school.

Hillcrest Christian College, Gold Coast.

A STRIFE-torn Gold Coast Christian college has abruptly cancelled a series of crisis meetings with parents, called last week in a bid to allay widespread concerns about what is happening at the school.

Hillcrest has been rocked by months of turmoil including allegations of bullying against principal Jeff Davis, the sacking of a senior staff member and concerns over hundreds of thousands of dollars in school loans to a private company set up to commercialise a reading program.

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Almost 250 people have signed a petition, launched last week by angry parents, calling for Mr Davis to be stood down and an independent investigator appointed.

On Friday, as sacked Hillcrest chief operating officer Ray Deetlefs launched Federal Court action demanding his reinstatement and damages, the Baptist Church-run school announced a series of parent forums would be held this week to provide ‘’accurate information’.

The Hillcrest board last week publicly reaffirmed its support for Mr Davis and said there were ‘no known grounds’ for his termination. The board said it was considering recommendations from an ‘external review’ into concerns raised about the college.

“Over the past few weeks the college has had a significant presence in social media and newspapers,” the school said in a letter to parents.

“This appears to be facilitated by a group of people (some of whom are not current parents) who are seeking to drive an agenda in relation to the college’s future.

“In doing so there has been a wide range of statements being made, many of which are incomplete.”

Some parents and former staff criticised the move to hold 30-minute forums, with small groups of 20 parents.

Today, the college phoned parents to inform them the meetings had been postponed ‘due to our concern about the ability to run them in a fair and open way’.

It said the college would be responding to questions raised on the Hillcrest P & F Facebook page, which was shut down after critical comments from some parents but reopened last week.

One disgruntled parent said the college was “all over the shop’.

“One minute they hastily call these sessions in the so-called interests of openness and transparency and the next minute, they cancel them,” the parent said.

“They’re all over the shop. It’s just ridiculous.”

Another parent said the P & F page had ‘only allowed supportive queries and comments of Jeff Davis’.

“Any other comments and queries are deleted by the college,” the parent said.

The State Government’s Non State-Schools Accreditation Board has been investigating multiple complaints against Hillcrest, while the Independent Education Union has called for an independent investigation into allegations of staff bullying.