Principal to be reassigned pending investigation
Superintendent: for `lack of reporting and investigation of incidents of sexual harassment'
Carmel Unified School District announced at a special board meeting Tuesday that Carmel High School Principal Jonathan Lyons will remain on paid administrative leave and be reassigned to another position at the end of the school year, pending investigation.
The five-member district board voted unanimously to reassign Lyons after an hourlong closed session.
District Superintendent Ted Knight declined to elaborate on the reasoning for the board's decision but said it was for “the lack of reporting and investigation of incidents of sexual harassment.”
“I'm heartbroken, I'm sad,” said Lyons, who has been on administrative leave since Dec. 16. “I love Carmel High School. I love that place. I love these teachers, I love the students, the parents. So I'm sad, today's a sad day for me.”
When the district announced Monday that it would hold an emergency special board meeting Tuesday morning — at an unusual time and place — the community was stumped.
Parents, teachers and staff speculated at the reasoning for the last-minute meeting, which had only one closed session item on its agenda: “public employee discipline/dismissal/ release.”
Around a hundred people crowded around the district office's chilly courtyard early Tuesday morning in hopes of their questions being answered. But halfway into the hour-long public comment period, community members were more confused than ever.
“This whole thing is really confusing to me,” a community member and grandfather of a 6-year old in the district said. “Why was this meeting called in such a short period of time?”
“I honestly don't know what's going on,” said community member Gwen McCall. “I came here thinking this meeting was about one thing and I'm really not sure what it's about.”
The open session was filled with sexual harassment and assault allegations, murmurings of retaliation against the high school's principal and accusations of cover-ups by the board and superintendent.
Several community members rallied around Lyons during the public comment period, as it was believed that he was the employee who the closed session was about. They praised his character and the work he's done to support the high school's students, staff and community.
“Mr. Lyons is one of the best things that has happened to this campus,” said former high school employee Pam Sullivan. “He respects people and puts people in the right places and lets them do their jobs.”
When Lyons was put on administrative leave in December, the district declined to comment on why but previously told The Herald that it was not related to inappropriate misconduct with a minor or a health issue.
Lyons said he also was not told initially why he was put on leave.
“I was not given any understanding of what the leave was about (or) the nature of the leave. It was about five weeks before I was interviewed” for the investigation, Lyons said. “I gave that interview and that was the last thing I heard. And that was three weeks ago until someone texted me (asking) if I was aware of the board meeting that was this morning.”
Knight confirmed Lyons was not made aware of the reasoning for his leave back in December due to the nature of the investigation, but that he became aware later and cooperated with the investigation.
Many community members who spoke during Tuesday's meeting accused Knight and the board of retaliating against Lyons over a previous sexual harassment claim that has resurfaced among the community in the past few days.
Documents regarding the allegations between two Carmel High School employees circulated among the district's parents, teachers and staff last week. One of the documents is a report by Lyons, outlining the findings of the investigation of the allegations and his recommendation. The Herald has seen these documents but has not yet confirmed their validity.
Knight has adamantly denied that Lyons' administrative leave was in retaliation over that investigation.
When the board returned from closed session, they announced the unanimous decision to release a “certificated administrative employee” from their current administrative assignment and reassign them to a different role next year. The board did not mention which employee they were referring to during that announcement.
But Lyons immediately broke down following the board's decision. The remaining crowd was outraged, shouting at Knight and the board over the announcement. At least one parent was escorted off the premises by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.
“Karl please,” Lyons pleaded to board member Karl Pallastrini. “Karl ,what happened?”
Knight and the board immediately filed out of the courtyard following the announcement but Pallastrini hesitated.
“I can't talk to you right now,” Pallastrini responded to Lyons. “It's closed-session stuff.”
Knight confirmed to The Herald following the board meeting — around 11:30 a.m. — that the action taken was related to Lyons for “the lack of reporting and investigation of incidents of sexual harassment.”
In a letter released to the district's community shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday, Knight provided more information on Lyons' leave and the ongoing investigation.
In the letter, Knight said that due to the seriousness of the allegations raised “related to Mr. Lyons,” the district is unable to share any specific details until an investigation is completed.
“What I can share at this time is after receiving a student complaint, an internal investigation was launched based on accusations of the mishandling of student conduct,” Knight continued in the letter. “This internal investigation uncovered behavior that is detrimental to the safety of Carmel High students and staff.”
Knight confirmed in that letter that Lyons will be removed from his current position as principal of Carmel High School at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, pending reassignment. He will continue to be on paid administrative leave “as a result of multiple serious allegations of mishandling complaints of misconduct.”
“In full transparency, I also need to let you know that these initial results of the ongoing investigation are so concerning that we are turning over our reports to the Monterey County Sheriff's Department, the Monterey County District Attorney and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing,” Knight continued in the letter.
Detective Sergeant David Vargas from the Monterey County Sheriff's Department will be leading the investigation. Knight requested that the public reach out to Vargas or the district with any additional information on reports made by students, staff or parents/guardians which were not adequately reported or investigated.
Lyons said he was getting information about the investigation and his status as an employee of the district through the media and public releases from the district.
“I'm as confused and in the dark as anybody else and just wondering how we got here,” he said.
In response to Knights' statement that Lyons was placed on administrative leave due to mishandling sexual harassment incidents, Lyons paused, replying, “Every case that we get, every discipline moment, every interaction with a student is unique and I think we try to do our best to respond in the ways that are appropriate and the ways that are consistent with our values and our practices,” he said.
Lyons admitted he doesn't know what his next steps are, but he's worried about the future — especially at Carmel High School.
“I'm a principal and I think people really misunderstand what a principal's job is. We're sometimes figureheads but we're really trying to connect other people together so that they can do the best work they possibly can,” Lyons said. “Those staff, those teachers bleed for those kids. They sweat and they cry and they scream in joy for those kids. My job is to keep them moving forward and honestly I'm more worried about what's going to happen over the next few days at the campus because I know there are teachers who are mad. Mad not just because of my situation, but mad in general of just how things are moving.”