Shortly before term four began last week, Charissa Nicol emailed staff claiming she had "returned from leave", but Columba College’s general manager quickly followed up, putting the kibosh on that.
"There has been a change," the email said.
"Charissa has returned to being on leave. We recognise the shifting nature of this situation can be unsettling."
A staff member has now come forward to lift the lid on the upheaval at the all-girls integrated school, describing it as a "toxic workplace", and the parent of a senior pupil told the Otago Daily Times they were considering withdrawing their daughter because of the prolonged dysfunction.
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Ms Nicol joined Columba in 2023 — its third principal since 2018 — but has been on leave since July.
Board of trustees chairman Graeme Riley acknowledged it had been a "challenging time", but was unable to comment on issues relating to an employee.
He said he could not speculate as to why Ms Nicol emailed staff prematurely about her supposed return.
"It has been impossible for principals to create real and meaningful change in school culture because of the level of kickback from them," the source said.
"Those people don’t actually bring anything positive and spend a lot of time sitting around in the staffroom, gossiping about other staff and drinking tea ... There is a lot of snobbery and anti-woke stuff going on in that group."
However, the source said the faction had supported Ms Nicol despite concerns raised by others about her leadership.
The source said the principal immediately made changes and her overtly religious rhetoric had alienated some students and staff.
At her commissioning service, Ms Nicol was introduced as having been brought there by God and would lead Columba to a better place.
The staff member also described a string of odd incidents, including one in which the principal removed a rainbow youth poster in front of students.
There was consideration by those affected of a complaint to the Human Rights Review Tribunal, but that stalled because girls were worried about their university references, they said.
Gender-diverse students were also allegedly upset by a direction that kilts had to be worn at formal school events rather than the uniform pants.
On another occasion, a teacher was told by a chaplain their classroom was possessed by an evil presence and the staff prayer group (featuring Ms Nicol) needed to cleanse it, which upset the teacher, the source said.
Since Ms Nicol’s leave, there had been another controversial incident which had caused disquiet among some pupils.
A chaplain allowed one girl to lead a prayer for Charlie Kirk (the right-wing US political activist who was shot and killed last month).
A parent who spoke to the ODT anonymously said their daughter was "very, very disturbed" by the episode, as were they.
"I was shocked, baffled, confused," they said.
The incident is understood to have generated at least one staff complaint.
Mr Riley said the board was "simply unable to comment" on the specific episodes raised by the ODT, but confirmed the school was developing formal uniform pants.
The parent said they had only heard about Ms Nicol’s leave status through the media, which had significantly undermined their trust in the school.
"There was a subsequent email from the board saying ‘Don’t panic, everything’s fine’," they said. "That seems to be their MO. It’s all very hush hush."
They said they were now considering moving their daughter to another school at the end of the year because her education was suffering as a result of teacher absences and the school’s ongoing internal conflicts.
"I just don’t see how it can get any better in the short term."
Mr Riley stressed the board had full confidence in the current senior leadership team and reassured parents the "well-being, continued achievement, and the milestones and end-of-year celebrations" were the priority for term four.
"We want to reassure the community that the board, with expert external help and guidance, is working to resolve any issues in a professional and confidential manner.
"We have obligations as an employer to maintain confidentially and to act in fairness to all parties," he said.
It is not the first time Columba College has courted controversy.
In 2013, a leaked teachers union survey of staff alleged "severe and persistent bullying over an extended period of time".
The reports described an environment of fear, intimidation and poor and autocratic management, and a stifling of innovation at the school, claims that were vehemently denied by management.
The following year, the school’s board of governors stepped in an attempt to resolve the issues.
The emails
On September 29, a week before the final term began, Charissa Nicol wrote a cheery email to staff, seemingly ending her hiatus.
"I hope you are having a wonderful term break. I have returned from leave today and really appreciate all the hard work that has clearly been going on," it said.
Ms Nicol said media interest in the school’s situation had become apparent and she reminded staff all inquiries should go through her or the chair of the board of trustees.
"I look forward to connecting with you all again soon," she wrote. "I’ll be in and out of the office this week, so do pop in to say hello if you are onsite."
But 48 hours later, school general manager Marianne Parks quickly extinguished that.
"It was wonderful to have her back onsite for a day; we know those of you who were working through the holiday period enjoyed her presence and company," she said.
"However, since Monday, there has been a change, and Charissa has returned to being on leave. We recognise that the shifting nature of this situation can be unsettling, and we truly appreciate your understanding and professionalism as we navigate this."
Ms Parks stressed Aaron Everett remained acting principal and reemphasised the school’s media policy.
After an ODT article on October 3 regarding Ms Nicol’s continued leave, Ms Parks sent another message to staff, outlining "concern" expressed by several parents.
But the wider school community’s ignorance of the situation, she said, was a positive.
"Some of the parents who made contact had not been aware that Charissa was away at all, which is a mark of recognition of how well you have worked together to ensure that we continue to provide the best for our students," Ms Parks wrote.
It was incorrect, she said, that the board had ruled out Ms Nicol’s return in term four.
The college would not comment on the reason for her leave or the prospective length of that leave, the email said.
