A push has begun to return former Kildare Catholic College principal Rod Whelan to his position, following the announcement that a new education committee will be set up inside the Catholic Education Diocese of Wagga Wagga (CEDWW).
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The Archbishop of Canberra Goulburn, Reverend Christoper Prowse on Monday accepted the resignation of the director of schools Mark MacLean.
It was also announced that an independent committee, KB West Advisory, would continue to investigate the policies and procedures in place at the CEDWW, "particularly in relation to HR and the support to principals and schools".
Parent of a year 8 student at Kildare College, and member of the school's council, Bill Wood has welcomed the investigation.
"There are a lot of positives going on here now," Mr Wood told The Daily Advertiser.
"I believe that this means they have now admitted there was something wrong with the way HR did things, and the former employees - including Rod [Whelan] should be able to have their cases re-looked at."
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Since Mr Whelan's sudden departure from the school in August 2019, the school has continued under direction of acting principal Christie Scoble and assistant principal Alison Sutton, with guidance from Mater Dei Catholic College principal Val Thomas.
Given that a permanent position has not yet been appointed, Mr Wood said he was confident that in time Mr Whelan's return would be considered.
"Speaking as a member of the Kildare board, I'm confident there will be a push from parents and staff to have him back," Mr Wood said.
"What he was doing at that school was world class, he was the best educator this diocese had."
But on when he could expect the principal's return to school, Mr Wood said he was willing to remain patient, allowing the independent investigators to complete a thorough assessment.
"I'm confident good things will come from this investigation. Being independent is a great first step and there's a lot of potential for this to be what we need to get back on track," he said.
"It's going to take time, I'm happy to wait, but I have a lot of faith that it's all going to come right."