RNZ: Gloriavale school principal claims community ‘targeted’

By Jean Edwards | RNZ |

Gloriavale Christian School’s new principal has accused people of making a coordinated effort to shut the school down and take its children away by lodging simultaneous complaints against every teacher.

In an open letter published on the West Coast Christian community’s website, Rachel Stedfast said the complaints stopped almost all of the school’s teachers from doing their job while an investigation was carried out.

“A small group of people have made a coordinated effort to shut the school down and take our children away by lodging complaints against all our teachers simultaneously,” she wrote.

“Everyone knows that a school cannot function without teachers.

“The media has falsely associated the current shutdown with sexual abuse from the past against individuals who either no longer teach or live at Gloriavale.

“I want to make it clear that none of the current teachers have been stood down due to allegations of physical sexual abuse.”

Gloriavale Christian School, which has a roll of 183, temporarily closed last month because of staff shortages.

Further reading: Gloriavale school principal claims community ‘targeted’