Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones is reassigning principals at three schools, and at least one of the decisions has drawn an outcry from students.
Cleveland High School students are planning to walk out of school Friday to protest the departure of current Principal Catherine Brown and the appointment of Marni Campbell, currently the principal of Robert Eagle Staff Middle School. On Wednesday, more than two dozen students, their families and teachers showed up to a School Board meeting to express their concerns about the appointment.
Jones made the announcement in a statement sent to families last week.
“Dr. Campbell has a strong commitment to student and staff wellness and relationships; has a proven record of equity focused leadership and development; is absolutely committed to our students and families furthest from educational justice; and believes in transparent and collaborative leadership. She is committed and excited to be a part of the Cleveland community,” Jones’ statement said.
Greenwood Elementary Principal Zach Stowell will replace Campbell at the middle school.
Cleveland students are demanding Seattle Public Schools keep Brown and block the appointment of Campbell. If not Brown, students are asking the district to hire an “equitable” principal with input from students and teachers.
Students will be gathering at the John Stanford Center at 11:30 a.m. Friday to protest.
During public comment at Wednesday night’s board meeting, Cleveland students raised a number of concerns about Campbell, including her role in an incident that resulted in a sexual abuse lawsuit against the district that was settled in 2015.
Campbell was the principal at Eckstein Middle School in 2005, when a former student reported allegations of a teacher making sexual comments about her body and touching her inappropriately. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that Campbell failed to remove the student from the class and said the student needed counseling and was seeking attention.
“Actions speak louder than words,” said Mia Dabney, associate student body president at Cleveland. “You all constantly say you care about Black and brown students and their success but your actions do not prove that.”
Dabney, a senior who is going off to college, said she showed up to the board meeting to fight for the younger students who deserve a better leader. “I do not want them to feel disrespected and unsafe in that school building.”
Several students also addressed Jones directly.
“I’m looking directly at you, Jones, because you are a Black man and your daughter graduated from Cleveland, and you are a person of power,” said Cleveland senior Nya Spivey. “You specifically gave us Marni Campbell and that is not an option.”
Beverly Redmond, district spokesperson, said the district is confident the new principals will take time to create relationships with the school community and earn the trust of students, parents and staff.
“The district invests significant time and careful attention in the selection and placement of building leaders, ensuring every school has a highly qualified leader with a proven commitment to equity,” Redmond said in a statement. “Cleveland High School has a long history and a deep sense of community that will be an important part of this leadership transition.”
Campbell did not immediately respond to requests for comment. When reached for comment, Brown’s automatic email reply said she is on leave and unable to respond to messages.
On May 10, Brown sent a letter to Cleveland families that said she was under investigation by the district.
“The specific allegation at issue is that I failed to follow a directive to withhold information about changes in COVID-19 contact tracing from the Cleveland community,” the letter said. “While the process for determining if I will be subject to discipline for that is not yet complete, as you now know, SPS has determined that I will not be the principal at Cleveland High School next year.”
In addition to Eckstein Middle School, Campbell has been a principal at Nathan Hale High School. She was an assistant principal at Mercer Middle School and an executive director and assistant superintendent in the Teaching and Learning and Special Education departments. She was also the executive director of instruction and innovation at Highline Public Schools.
This story has been updated. Nya Spivey is a student at Cleveland High School, not Lincoln High.
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