Police are investigating a former Young Catholic primary school principal over allegations he “inappropriately” used school computers.
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A media release from the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Catholic Education Office (CEO) on Wednesday confirmed the principal of St Mary’s Primary School Michael Philpot had relinquished his position following concern about his “inappropriate” use of the school’s IT network.
The CEO stated they immediately investigated the matter and found the concerns were substantiated.
“There are clear expectations of staff at a Catholic school. These expectations are outlined in the Code of Professional Conduct and our Computer Facilities and External Network – Acceptable Use Policy,” stated the release.
“As there was a breach of policy there was no alternative but for him to relinquish his position and terminate his employment within the archdiocese.”
The statement said the “inappropriate” activity had been referred to police who, in turn, informed them the matter was subject to a police investigation.
It said the CEO said they had no evidence to suggest there was reason for concern about the welfare of children at St Mary’s.
However, yesterday, the CEO told The Witness they were informing parents via a letter that Mr Philpot had been “removed” from St Mary’s Primary School.
This comes weeks after Mr Philpot suddenly announced his retirement to the school community via a personal letter.
The CEO has refused to clarify the term “inappropriate” or what part of the policy had been breached.
The CEO’s head of directorate services Frances Neuss has furthermore stated, via email, that details of the use of the school’s IT network by Mr Philpot had been passed to the police for them to make “determinations” as to what the inappropriate use involved.
“The IT systems were used in a way that breached acceptable use policy,” she said. “It is standard protocol in issues such as these to refer matters to the police.”
Ms Neuss said IT records had been passed to the police for them to determine how many times “inappropriate” activity had occurred.
While ACT Police yesterday confirmed they had received a referral regarding the matter, they were unable to provide details of the investigation.
An emergency Parents and Friends meeting was held at the school on Wednesday night, however, its president, Martin Sullivan, said parents were learning most of the information from the media.
“I’m waiting to hear it from you,” Mr Sullivan said.
Asked whether he thought parents deserved to know what was being investigated, he said, as president he couldn’t comment.
However, he said: “As a parent, I would like to know. I think every parent would like to know.”
St Mary’s Parish priest Father Richard Thompson said he couldn’t say anything that would impinge on a police investigation.
“My primary concern is with the pastoral care of all the people involved,” Father Richard said.
He said it was a challenging time for all involved, including Mr Philpot and his family.
Neither the CEO nor the ACT Police could confirm why the ACT Police were investigating a NSW school matter.
The Witness has attempted to contact Mr Philpot for a response.
He has not returned phone calls.
