A former school principal claims she was forced to resign from her role and ultimately quit teaching after refusing to host a day aimed at supporting LGBTQIA+ students.

Janelle Rowe, who worked as a teacher for 34 years and as principal at an ACT primary school since last year, said she was forced out of the role after she refused to take part in Wear It Purple Day.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Ms Rowe argued the day was “not a harmless dress-up day”.

“It requires teachers to explain what these lifestyles are about to children and I don’t feel it’s the place of schools to be talking about sexualised issues with infants and primary students,” she said.

“At age four through to 12, these are still issues for parents and for families.

“How it’s dealt with and at what age, that’s not for the school or teachers, that’s for home.”

Wear It Purple Day was established in 2010 to “foster safer, more inclusive environments where young people can be proud of who they are and hopeful about their future”.

The day takes place on the last Friday of August, with students and teachers encouraged to wear purple and students offered resources about bullying, discrimination and exclusion.

According to the Wear It Purple website, resources include teaching primary school students in grades 1 and 2 about different types of families, kindness and belonging, while lessons for students in grades 3 and 4 cover belonging and acceptance. Grades 5 and 6 can be taught about courage and what it means to be an ally.

Ms Rowe told News24 other days celebrated in the school’s curriculum, such as Anzac Day and NAIDOC Week, required “extrapolating” from teachers to help students understand what each event meant and represented.

“We go into detail about the history and what the day is about. We provide activities,” she said.

Ms Rowe said she “took a stand” and refused to take part in Wear It Purple Day, claiming she was hauled into head office, where she was confronted with vague workplace allegations.

“There was a phone call, there was an ‘I need to speak to you face-to-face’, there was a ‘bring a support person if you want to but come now’, and then I was told a list of allegations and topics that I had done wrong,” she told News24.

She also claimed “half the staff were going to quit’ if she refused to take part, and she “needed to win the confidence back of staff” by taking part in the day.

After refusing to take part, Ms Rowe said she suggested Wear It Purple Day be replaced with Bullying No Way Week, arguing it was a more appropriate way of “dealing with real issues for young children”.

However, the school’s records indicate Bullying No Way Week was already in its curriculum, taking place in week 5 of term 3 – one week before Wear It Purple Day.

In a statement to NewsWire, ACT Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Education Rachel Stephen-Smith said: “Out of respect for privacy and confidentiality, we do not comment on current or former directorate employees.”

“More broadly, the ACT is proud to be the capital of equality,” she said.

“Our message to every young LGBTQIA+ Canberran is that you are seen and valued for who you are.

“Every young person has the right to be themselves – and to be respected, supported and safe at their school.”

She said “at ACT public schools, inclusion and respect isn’t an add-on, it’s at the heart of our education system”.

“We know our schools are at their best when every student feels valued – because it means our students can do their best,” she said.

NewsWire has contacted Wear It Purple and the primary school for comment.