PETITION AND LETTER FROM THE PARENTS OF THE BRITISH SCHOOL RIO DE JANEIRO TO ABE (ASSOCIAÇÃO BRITÂNICA DE EDUCAÇÃO)

We received the news of TBS´s Director (“Mr. MW”) dismissal with surprise and dismay.

Mr. MW went through a lengthy and costly selection process, having taken his position only 12 months ago, and a sudden decision like this brings potentially serious consequences for the school community, especially for the students.

This abrupt change without a backup plan, the dismissal of a foreigner who moved to our city, changed his life, invested in the School, and was fired suddenly and WITHOUT JUST CAUSE OR SERIOUS JUSTIFICATION, causes reputational damage to TBS.

We foresee that actions like this are making it increasingly difficult to hire and retain high-level foreign professionals to work in our institution, worsening the education provided to our children.

Nevertheless, a group of parents received from a former "Head" of one of our school's "sites", the following alleged infringement and/or act against the ABE (“complaint”)

"The Board is lying, whilst [CONFIDENTIAL] is under investigation for unprofessional conduct, which I saw with my own eyes. [CONFIDENTIAL] didn’t “agree to step down”, he was sacked because he called them out. Shameful behavior. Shameful. They should hang their heads in shame. And they claim one of their core values is Integrity?!
It saddens me beyond belief to say this - I gave 5 years of my life to TBS, and am passionate about it - but someone has to tell the truth, and hold the Board accountable."

Given these arguments and based on the above-mentioned collective complaint, including to protect the reputation of Board Members, we demand the immediate and temporary suspension of all Board Members, as determined in TBS's By-Laws, Article 17, Paragraph Six:

"In the event any of the Elected Board Members fails to comply with his/her fiduciary duties under these By-Laws or the applicable law or commits any act against the interests of the ABE, due to gross negligence or willful misconduct (“Investigated Elected Board Member”), such Investigated Elected Board Member may be suspended..."

Considering the seriousness of the facts related to the dismissal of the Director Mr. MW, as well as the complaint made against the Board, in order to verify the truthfulness of this complaint, in accordance with BY LAW, Article 18, Paragraph Two, and according to CHAPTER 5 of the "Internal Regulation," we demand the immediate appointment of an Ad Hoc Committee, named "Special Investigation Committee," for the immediate initiation of a completely independent investigation.

The committee's role will be to select independent investigation service providers and to fully oversee the work carried out by these providers, ensuring that they act in the best interests of the parent/community maintainers of the school.

In order to preserve the governance of the School with minimal impact on its operations, we request that the "Heads" of the Barra, Urca, and Botafogo sites be included as interim Board members until the investigative process is concluded, if they agree to the appointment.

In this scenario, we list below the best practices and minimum requirements to be followed for the investigative process:

- There must be an independent committee with 3 members, renowned for their expertise in corporate investigations, and who have no prior relationship with the school regarding the provision of services (voluntary or otherwise) or professional ties. This should include two independent members and one parent from the school, with at least one of them being a lawyer.

- As stated in Chapter VI, Article 13:

"…members shall be indicated and appointed based on their professional background and qualification relevant to the objectives of each Committee."

The committee's role will be to select independent investigation service providers and to fully oversee the work carried out by these providers, ensuring that they act in the best interests of the parent/community maintainers of the school.

Additionally, the senior leadership of TBS must immediately ensure actions for the preservation of electronic documents, including the execution of "legal hold" on corporate communications.

Furthermore, the senior leadership of TBS must communicate that all members of the administration and the Board are prohibit from deleting or destroying any documentation related to their activities with the school, especially on their corporate equipment.

Given the aforementioned context, we REQUEST:

1) IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

2) CONVENING OF THE "FULL BOARD," FOR A NEW VOTE REGARDING THE DEPARTURE OR CONTINUANCE OF DIRECTOR MR. MW (MEMBERS SUSPENDED, AS REQUESTED IN ITEM 1, EXCLUDED FROM THE VOTE)

3) INITIATION OF A SPECIAL INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE, AS SPECIFIED ABOVE.

We trust in the improvement of our School and our Community, and we seek the integrity of its members.

Sincerely,

Parents of TBS - THE BRITISH SCHOOL RIO DE JANEIRO