Troubled Vanier Catholic Secondary School will have a new principal next year, according to multiple sources the Star spoke with this morning.

Ed Frison, the current principal, could not be reached for comment today but has not publicly commented over the same-sex policy controversy his school has been embroiled in over the last few months.

One Vanier teacher said this morning that Valerie Royle, the deputy minister of Education, told staff Thursday that Frison has accepted a new position for the upcoming school year.

According to reliable sources, students were going to be told about the leadership change at the annual farewell assembly this afternoon.

Paige Parsons, a communications officer with the Department of Education, would not confirm nor deny the development, saying the department doesn't comment on personnel matters.

Calls to the chair and vice-chair of the school council, the vice-principal, and the president of the teachers association for comment were not returned by deadline early this afternoon.

Naomi Blindheim, a parent involved with the school, said this morning she believes a new principal is a "step in the right direction” for Vanier.

While she doesn't know Frison personally, anecdotally, she's heard that attendance records and grades have slipped under his watch, as has communication among staff and with parents.

Many of these issues were raised at a public school council meeting last March.

At that meeting, Royle explained that a new draft policy replacing Vanier's controversial policy on homosexuality would be implemented by May.

The school faced a storm of controversy over its same-sex policy following an incident in the fall of 2012, where a student's locker was vandalized with a derogatory term for a gay or lesbian person.

Royle has said the principal failed to take immediate action, and that a teacher eventually removed the offensive marking.

The bullying and the school's response ignited a broader discussion about public funding for Catholic schools, the role of the department and the Catholic Church in framing education at the school, and the state of staff relationships with administration.

At the March meeting, the deputy minister also said a memorandum of understanding outlining the roles and responsibilities of Education Minister Scott Kent, Bishop Gary Gordon, and the department superintendent, etc. would be developed.

As well, efforts would be made to improve communication between staff and administration, Royle indicated.

While work in these areas may well be underway, Blindheim is frustrated with the lack of communication with parents.

"I wish that the Department of Education would really keep the parents informed as to what's going on,” she said.

In April, she added, she sent an email expressing her concerns to Royle.

She has yet to receive a reply.