The equal opportunities watchdog has cleared the name of the principal-to-be of Wah Yan College, Kowloon after he was accused of "inappropriate bodily contact", according to the head of its management committee.
Chung Wai-leung, principal of co-educational St Bonaventure College and High School, who is due to take over as head of the Jesuit Wah Yan secondary school for boys in September, is said to have the backing of teachers and parents.
Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan, chairman of the Wah Yan school management committee, said investigations by both the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and the management board of St Bonaventure concluded "there were no grounds to support the allegations".
Chow added: "Chung is a victim in this case, and above all we share the same concern for the students that we do not wish to hurt them."
The controversy arose when John Tan Kang, principal of Wah Yan, resigned from the management committee due to the "questionable moral character" of the man who has been chosen to succeed him in September.
Chow said the alleged incident happened more than two years ago in a classroom with other student witnesses. It involved Chung "touching the shoulder of a female student, with the understanding that he was comforting the student".
Sam Yu Chun-sing, Wah Yan alumni school manager, said "the parent representative on the committee and the school's teachers … are supportive of Chung's continuation in assuming office this September".
An EOC spokeswoman said the commission did not comment on individual cases.