More parents speak out after former Vancouver school principal accused of fraud

Back in 2014, concerned parents from John Norquay Elementary contacted CTV News claiming their fundraising dollars seemed to not be going back into the school.

"Parents were going in and making work booklets, kids were sharing textbooks," said Barbara Lee in 2014. "There was no technology in the classrooms."

At the time, Tricia Low was the school's principal. Low eventually left the school, but the Vancouver School Board says it conducted its own investigation and did not find any evidence of fraud.

Fast forward to 2023 and Low, also known as Tricia Rooney, is facing a lawsuit from the VSB alleging she stole more than $170,000 in donations over a two-year span during her time as principal of Britannia Community Elementary from 2017-2020.

"I think my first reaction was, 'Wow, how can this happen?'" said Letti Kwong, a parent of children who attended John Norquay Elementary in 2014.

"And then it was, 'Wait, I'm not surprised,' and, 'Did anything happen during her time here at Norquay?'"

According to the claim, the VSB alleges Low misappropriated donated gift cards, stole money from fundraising events and wrote herself cheques.

Krista Sigurdson is a school mom who serves on a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) and says school budgeting often happens behind closed doors.

"So, when you're talking about donations, especially in-kind donations, items, are they tracked? Who's tracking them? That's not always clear," said Sigurdson. "So as surprising as this story is – and it is very surprising – I could see how the window is open for this kind of thing to happen."

The Vancouver School Board declined an on-camera interview, but told CTV News in an email that the district has implemented new measures to help prevent similar issues in the future.

"We have implemented a gift card log, detailing the amount and how the gift card is spent. We also have monthly reviews of school financial statements where the district's finance department conducts a thorough review of each line item spent by schools," said the VSB via email.

CTV News tried reaching out to Tricia Low for comment but did not receive a response. None of the allegations have been proven in court.