St Martin de Porres Avondale Heights principal Mark Williams resigns after investigation

A principal at an Avondale Heights school is at the centre of a probe into alleged inappropriate touching and sexual comments.

Principal Mark Williams has denied all allegations of inappropriate conduct.

A top education union boss and principal has quietly resigned after being investigated for dozens of sexual misconduct allegations made by more than 10 teachers.

The Herald Sun can reveal Mark Williams, who is the principal of St Martin de Porres Primary School in Avondale Heights and branch president of the Independent Education Union Victoria and Tasmania, has been at the centre of a probe for almost a year into alleged inappropriate touching and making sexual comments towards female staff.

The Herald Sun has obtained several documents showing correspondence between Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) executive director Jim Miles and Mr Williams, which detail the claims made by staff members.

It’s believed at least 12 current and former staff members made formal complaints, with more than 40 separate allegations levelled against Mr Williams.

The matter has been referred to the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

The Herald Sun is not suggesting the allegations are true, only that they have been made.

A number of distraught women have come forward to the Herald Sun saying they are “angered” and feel “left in the dark” about the investigation.

They say they were not informed of the probe’s outcome and were only advised of Mr Williams’ imminent retirement early last week.

The women also say they are angered that the school community was not made aware of the serious allegations.

The documents show Mr Williams denied all of the allegations of inappropriate conduct.

Some of the claims listed in the letters from June and August 2022 include Mr Williams hugging a female staff member and “squeezing” her backside.

Other concerning reports include the principal putting his hands on the inside of a woman’s jacket and touching her breast.

Mr Williams allegedly told a female staff member that she should attend a school dress-up day as “Ms Bouncy”.

He was also accused of routinely hugging female staff members, making some feel “uncomfortable”.

Mr Williams sent a letter to staff last week saying he was taking long service leave and retiring from his position as principal at the school.

“The various difficult experiences over the past five years as a school community, and my attempts to support you through these has also weighed heavily on my heart,” he wrote.

One woman said she wished she reported the allegations to police, describing MACS’ handling of the claims as a “massive blow”.

“There is no justice for the victims, he just gets to walk away without any consequences,” she said.

“He has not been held accountable for his actions, this is a slap in the face.”

A Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) spokesman said the Archdiocese took all allegations of misconduct “extremely seriously”.

“Upon receipt of the first complaint regarding Mr Williams’ behaviour, he was directed not to attend the school, perform any duties, or contact any staff, and an independent investigation was immediately launched,” the spokesman said.

“We can confirm Mr Williams is no longer working at any MACS schools and the outcomes of the independent investigation will be provided to the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

“With the investigation now complete, we will be offering confidential conversations with impacted staff to talk them through the process and seek to understand how we can best support them.

“We acknowledge the significant distress this has caused our valued staff and are reviewing this process to see what could have been done differently.”

An Independent Education Union spokesman said Mr Williams has had a long career as a “deeply committed” educator.

“We confirm that Mark Williams is on a period of long service leave from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools and that he will retire at the end of his leave,” he said.

“Mark Williams is currently the president of the IEU Victoria Tasmania. This is an unpaid honorary position elected by members.”

Mr Williams was contacted for comment.