Brisbane all-boys school to undergo culture review after harassment claims

Marist College Ashgrove will undergo an external review, following allegations of harassment and a “culture of misogyny” at the Brisbane all-boys Catholic school, including claims a female teacher was surrounded by hundreds of students who hurled food at her.Parents were notified on Monday morning in a letter from acting head of college Paul Blinkoff, who assumed the position after head of college Michael Newman took leave for the rest of the school year.Blinkoff said the review would respond to “a number of issues that have been raised”, focusing specifically on workplace culture.The independent review would follow public accounts from Marist College Ashgrove teachers and staff, tendered to court within a claim for damages filed in July last year.Marist College Ashgrove“The final details of this review are being determined, however, it will have at its centre staff, and a commitment to listen, hear and understand the issues, ideas and thoughts they want to share about our workplace culture,” he said.He pledged to share the findings of the review with staff, families and the wider community.“It is important for Marist College Ashgrove and Marist Schools Australia that we do not in any way pre-empt the review or what it may find,” Blinkoff said.The independent review would follow public accounts from college teachers and staff, tendered to the Queensland Supreme Court in late April within a claim for damages filed in July last year.Drama teacher Victoria Sparrow alleged she was surrounded and pelted with food by hundreds of boys on October 27, 2023, while she was employed at the school.Sparrow’s legal representative, Gerard Forde, told the court the accounts supported claims the school had a “history of misbehaviour towards women”, and fostered a “culture of misogyny” in its all-male student body.He said Sparrow was supervising students at lunchtime on a rainy day in 2023, with the boys restricted to an outdoor covered area before they turned on her.“[Sparrow] has said there had been a deterioration of the behaviour of the children, and it had occurred over a long period of time,” Forde said.“These are examples of mistreatment of women leading up to what occurred, and so the school would have been aware of it.”In late June, Independent Education Union Queensland branch secretary Terry Burke urged the school to commission an independent review into a “broader culture of harassment and sexualised behaviour”.Burke said the union had been contacted about the “specific incident” in 2023, but was concerned about ongoing reports of “objectionable behaviour and harassment”.“Serious issues persist at the school,” Burke said.On Monday, the acting head of college said the review would be external, and provide “various” opportunities for staff to contribute.The letter also announced the appointment of a new deputy head of school as of Monday, Danielle Greig.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.More:Private schoolsSchoolsHigh schoolAshgroveBrisbaneFor subscribersFrom our partners