Parents react to teacher calendar scandal
Parents whose children attend a Queensland high school where staff posed for a risque photoshoot on campus have reacted to the controversy.
The photographs show staff of Balmoral State High School in Brisbane’s inner suburbs posed in a range of compromising positions, with one teacher dressed as a nun and another in a sparkling gold mankini.
They were printed inside a 2023 staff calendar that was displayed in the staffroom, according to reports from The Courier Mail.
A handful of parents of students who attend the school have come to the defence of the teachers, who they say are nothing but “amazing” and “supportive” of their students.
“They did a silly thing, that’s all they did,” one parent told 9News.
“[My kids] have had some of these teachers and they have been amazing supportive teachers,” a second said.
A whistleblower is understood to have raised concerns about the calendar after a staff complaint in December resulted in the denial of its existence.
The school is located inside the electorate of the state’s Education Minister Dianne Farmer.
One photo shows the gold mankini-clad teacher bent over on all fours, while the teacher dressed in a nun’s habit places their foot on the other’s back.
Another shows a teacher pouring a carton of milk onto another teacher.
The leaked photographs have drawn mixed reactions from the public, with some suggesting they cross the line, while others say they shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
Former Queensland principal Tracy Tully said it was “a total disregard to respect of the school, the parents, the community, the students and the other teachers”.
“This is just not acceptable,” she told the Today show.
“This is not a joke. This school is a school of excellence.
“It’s a gateway school. It It’s teaching year 11 biomedical engineering. It has four academies. “They’ve worked really hard to get where they’re where they are. They’re an international school.
“They’re paid by taxpayers.”
“I don’t want to be a prude … they’re probably having a bit of fun,” Queensland senator Matt Canavan said on Today.
“It’s probably more embarrassing for them than it is for anyone else.”
Nine reporter Heidi Murphy said the “worst part” was the photos being been leaked out of the staffroom and put “on the national stage”.
A Department of Education spokesperson said they “expect all staff to meet high standards of behaviour and conduct”.
“The department is currently investigating this matter and is unable to provide further information due to employee privacy obligations.”
