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Education
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THE entire board of Cranbrook School except for one woman has sensationally resigned following months of bitter infighting and disagreements with the school principal Nicholas Sampson.
President of the Cranbrook School council Jon North and other members of the council said they would clear the board on 31 December 2022.
It comes after a bitter fight over the timeline for the introduction of girls to the over 100-year-old boys’ school which charges parents almost $40,000 a year.
“The current situation is damaging the reputation of the School and impacting its operations. We believe this has made the governance of the School untenable,” it said.
“Despite a number of good faith attempts over many months to resolve the underlying issues we have concluded that a workable solution is not possible and we are no longer able to discharge our duties as directors.”
The resignation letter was signed by council president Jon North, Gillian Larkins, Suzanne Williams, Craig Carroll, Rob Forsyth, Susan Fuller, Michael Jensen, Joe Karsay,
Hugh Dowling and Ben Ritchie. The only person who did not sign the mass resignation letter was Katrina Rathie.
An online petition launched over the weekend, which had garnered over 850 signatures, referenced that complaint and said it was “clear from media reports that the Council President, Jon North has tried to force Nicholas Sampson to leave the school against his will.”
“Nicholas Sampson lodged a formal complaint about the treatment he has received from the Council President more than four months ago and unfortunately this is still unresolved many months later.
“The vast majority of Cranbrook parents, staff, students, old boys and donors admire, respect and support Nicholas Sampson and want him to remain on as Headmaster.”
That petition came after the school council issued a letter of its own which took aim at four individuals for agitating a war against the council in the media and pleaded for them to stop.
That letter said: “The latest article follows a series of media stories over the last six months that relate to complaints by four disaffected individuals.”
“The complaints concern the community consultation process in relation to coeducation, the governance of the School and the tenure of the Headmaster,” the letter said.
“They have challenged the reputation and governance of Cranbrook through an ongoing media campaign and in a way which has intimidated members of the School Council via legal threats.”
Cranbrook headmaster Nicholas Sampson thanked the outgoing board for their service in a letter on Monday afternoon.
“As we approach the end of what has been a lengthy and challenging year, I should like to reassure you that the entire staff at Cranbrook and I remain focused on delivering the vision we share for our great School,” he said.
“We are committed to supporting our Cranbrookians today and into the future, with generosity of spirit, kindness and humility.”The school was engulfed in an anti-semetic bullying scandal in September, amid revelations students had filmed one boy in school uniform performing a Sieg Heil, others had sent doctored photos of students with swastika armbands while others had not been called by their name but simply called “Jew”.In September, the school council said it would “work closely with the Headmaster to undertake a detailed review of the conduct in question”.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Darren Bark this week expressed his displeasure with the reports of “vile” anti-Semitic bullying and wanted the review done with a matter of urgency.
“We look forward to the review being completed as a matter of urgency so that the school can take appropriate action and ensure Cranbrook is a safe place for all students, regardless of their background,” he said.
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