Bwgcolman Community School: Division between principal, some staff

An ugly schism has erupted between the principal and a handful of staff at a respected community school on Palm Island, sources have revealed.

Former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk visits Bwgcolman Community School. Pic Mark Calleja

An ugly schism has erupted between the principal and a handful of staff at a respected community school on Palm Island, sources have revealed.

News Corp has obtained the screenshot of an email to staff at Bwgcolman Community School on March 20, from Kaz, understood to be school Principal Karen Heales-Geia, on March 20.

She claims that since taking over as principal in 2022 she has encountered bullying from “2 or 3 staff members”, which she wrote was unlike anything she has experienced in her 36-year career.

“These people have made my life difficult in that they constantly attempt to take my focus away from the kids.”

The Department of Education has confirmed that it is “aware of issues raised” at the school.

In her email, Ms Heales-Geia said the group were involved in the creation of a petition to have her removed from her role at the school.

“Last week a staff member came to me extremely upset that they had signed the petition and expressed that they felt bullied into doing so,” she said.

“Yesterday, I was called by a number of parents and visited by parents that were very concerned about the petition and very concerned about my well-being.”

Ms Heales-Geia was contacted for comment but referred enquiries to the department.

A spokesperson said that “any concerns of this nature are thoroughly considered and managed appropriately in accordance with departmental frameworks”.

“Staff from the department’s regional office are working closely to support the principal and provide staff with the opportunity to raise their concerns,” they said.

They said the department had a responsibility to maintain privacy “regarding an employee and their employment”.

“As such, the department cannot comment further on individual matters at this time.”

Ms Heales-Geia, in her email, claimed that it was a “shame that a minority can cause so many difficulties for us”.

“Please continue on with the great work you are doing for our kids and I will keep you posted as to what is happening with my job,” she said.

“I am really proud of the work here and we have done well to get the school into a good position.”

Bwgcolman Community School, named after the Aboriginal name for Palm Island, saw a 10.16 per cent positive increase in Naplan results over a five-year period to late 2022, the third-highest increase in North Queensland.

At the time, Ms Heales-Geia said staff and students were constantly striving to do better.

“We are also focusing explicitly on instruction around technology and have greatly increased the number of devices for students to access at our school.”

Originally published as Bwgcolman Community School: Division between principal, some staff