Woodland Hills school chief tells board he’s resigning

District has had a tumultuous year

The superintendent of the Woodland Hills School District has announced his intention to resign effective June 30.

Alan Johnson said at a school board meeting Wednesday that he wants to enact the severance clause of his contract, board president Jamie Glasser said.

If details of the severance agreement can be worked out by next week’s meeting, the board will vote on whether to accept it, she said.

Ms. Glasser said Mr. Johnson has been with the district since 2011. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday night. The district was formed in 1981 by a court-ordered merger of the Edgewood, General Braddock, Swissvale, Churchill and Turtle Creek school districts.

The past year has been tumultuous for the Woodland Hills School District, which has seen itself the subject of national headlines and a lawsuit filed by five former students.

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s office continues to investigate whether school resource Officer Steve Shaulis, a member of the Churchill Police Department, used excessive force after photos surfaced of a student who said his tooth was punched out during an altercation with the officer.

Former high school principal Kevin Murray, who was investigated in late 2016 after he was recorded threatening to strike a student, resigned as principal and head football coach last summer while waiting for his recertification from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

A handful of other students came forward and joined a federal lawsuit filed in August alleging similar mistreatment at the hands of school leaders.

State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced in September that he planned to conduct a performance audit of the school district after receiving multiple requests from local lawmakers.

No results of the audit have been announced.