Parents voice concerns over ‘unfair’ removal of former Punchbowl principal

PARENTS of students at Punchbowl Boys High School have defended former principal Chris Griffiths as a “good person”.

Parents of students at Punchbowl Boys High School have defended former principal Chris Griffiths as a “good, honest man”.

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PARENTS of students at Punchbowl Boys High School have defended former principal Chris Griffiths as a “good person”.

A “tense” and “hostile” P & C meeting was held at the school this morning and representatives of the Department of Education and new principal Robert Patruno spoke.

Mr Griffiths and his deputy Joumana Dennaoui were removed from their roles last week after an investigation by the department found “a high level of staff disunity and disharmony” at the school.

But parents that spoke with The Express after the meeting, said they were angry that the department was not more transparent with its reasons for removing the pair.

Iman Awad, whose son attends the school, said she felt the decision to remove pair was “unfair”.

“I was very happy with the principal and deputy principal,’ Ms Awad said.

“(Mr Griffiths) is a good person, an honest and fair person. He used to go to the train station to walk all the kids to school each morning.”

“So why remove him for unconvincing reasons? It’s not about the new principal ... it’s just unfair.”

Former Punchbowl High School principal Chris Griffiths.

Another parent, a Greenacre woman who did not wish to be named, said she left the meeting after it became “quite hostile”.

She was concerned the department was not more detailed in its explanation.

“They’re not answering our questions,” she said.

“Like what are the concerns from the department to remove the leadership team?”

“They dance around the truth ... I wish I knew what really happened.”

Students too seemed angry about the leadership spill and many could be seen and heard chanting “we want Griffiths back” from the school windows while the meeting was underway.

Another parent who attended the meeting and asked not to be named, said they felt for Mr Griffiths and Ms Dennaoui.

“At the end of the day they are still two very good humans who served our kids well,” he said.

NSW Education Department head Mark Scott. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

The parent also understood that the department informed parents that Mr Griffiths and Ms Dennaoui were on leave, but would both keep their roles as principal and deputy principal after they are transferred to another school.

It is believed the catalyst for the department’s investigation, that led to the dismissals, was the school’s ongoing reluctance to implement the state-funded deradicalisation program.

There have been reports that Mr Griffiths was stood down for excluding female teachers and that the school had a fragile relationship with police.

The Australian also reported that the investigation picked up one case in which a non-Muslim teacher was seriously assaulted and threatened by a student, but the matter was not reported to police.

NSW Education Department head Mark Scott told 2GB radio yesterday morning that some of the allegations about Mr Griffiths and the school were untrue.

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Mr Scott said claims about female teaches being excluded from official ceremonies as well as allegations that Mr Griffiths had wished to make Punchbowl Boys a Muslim-only school, were “unsubstantiated”.

The department was contacted for comment.