Mt Tamborine State School principal Tracey Brose sued Education Department in 2016 over a former staffer

A southeast Queensland state school principal sued the Education Department over a former staffer who accused her of harassing and discriminating against her, court documents show.

TAMBORINE Mountain State High School principal Tracey Brose sued the Education Department over a former staffer who accused her of harassing and discriminating against her, and says it drove her to quit her job, court documents show.

The Sunday Mail can reveal Mrs Brose sued the Education Department in June 2016 in the District Court claiming $380,000 for hurt to her reputation, breach of confidence and invasion of privacy.

The lawsuit was lodged three weeks after she sued the parents for defamation over Facebook posts.

Mrs Brose claimed the school should not have commented about her suspension as principal on February 15, 2016, to the local newspaper, Tamborine Mountain News, for a story on May 3.

She claimed the department’s comments were defamatory because they implied that her behaviour as principal “warranted” suspension and argued the department should not have commented as she was allegedly gagged by the department from speaking about her suspension.

Mt Tamborine State School Principal Tracey Brose. Picture: Jason O'Brien

She also claimed former staffer Cassandra Lee Peck was lying when she wrote she was leaving the school because she was “medically unable to ever return to Tamborine Mountain due to harassment and discrimination from school principal Tracey Brose”.

“Cassandra Peck falsely alleged she was leaving … due to harassment and discrimination … from Mrs Brose,” the claim states.

The department denied Ms Peck lied, court documents state.

Ms Peck’s transfer away from the school was approved by the department’s human resources division, documents state.

Mrs Brose also alleged Ms Peck showed her leaving form containing her harassment allegations to other school administration managers on August 27, 2015, a claim that was denied by the department, which claims Ms Peck did not attend any meeting.

Mrs Brose also alleged that the following month Ms Peck told colleagues “I have won my case that Tracey Brose has bullied me” at a meeting.

The department denies Ms Peck said this.

Mrs Brose alleges the department told her in letters after her suspension that she was not allowed to tell anyone that she had been suspended, or why she was not at work.

Mrs Brose alleged her reputation was “gravely ­injured” and she was ridiculed due to the department’s comments.

The department says “nothing in the publication was reasonably capable of lowering (Mrs Brose) in the esteem of others, or to bring her into hatred, odium or contempt”.

The case was never formally settled, but the case did not progress beyond August 16, 2016.

Originally published as Mt Tamborine State School principal Tracey Brose sued Education Department in 2016 over a former staffer