Nov. 20 court date set for elementary school principal
‘He’s sorta shocked at the whole thing. That’s what he seems to be — really shocked and surprised’
Emotions ranging from shock and sadness to even anger enveloped the Rappahannock County Public Schools community when it was confirmed last week that elementary school principal Benjamin Temple was arrested Sept. 1 near Ashland, Va., charged with three Class 1 misdemeanors: falsely identifying himself to a law enforcement officer, identity theft, and simulated masturbation.
Each charge, upon conviction, carries a maximum sentence of confinement [in jail] of not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both.
Temple, who was released on his own recognizance, was arraigned in Hanover General District Court on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The next court date in Hanover is Nov. 20, one week before Thanksgiving.
“He [ Temple] behaved professionally, informed us he had counsel,” Rappahannock School Board member Rachel Bynum told the Rappahannock News. “He’s [ Temple] sorta shocked at the whole thing. That’s what he seems to be — really shocked and surprised…
“He called [Superintendent] Shannon Grimsley on the evening of his arrest. No one on the School Board has spoken directly to Mr. Temple,” she said. “We’ve seen him but we haven’t spoken with him. Dr. Grimsley has all the information and it’s all confidential. It’s all allegations.”
Still, several parents have spoken of being let down by the school board because more details were not forthcoming from the school district surrounding the apparent severity of the charges against Temple, who has been the RCES principal for just over two years.
“There was an administrative session behind closed doors and then a short memo was sent out [to parents and guardians] the next day on September 11th,” Bynum said. “There’s a slow march of justice and we’ll act according to what we find out in the proceedings.”
RCPS spokesperson Holly Jenkins said a letter was sent by the school district “informing parents that Mr. Temple is on extended leave and that Mrs. Carol Johnson will be in the official capacity as the elementary school principal until further notice.”
Even as the RCES principal awaits his court date, some parents questioned the school administration’s vetting process of applicants, which School Board Chairman Wes Mills assured last week “is thorough.”
A public search of statewide court records for Temple only found that he had been issued a speeding ticket in Madison County in July 2013 and in Culpeper County in August 2018 a citation for “defective [motor vehicle] equipment.”
“We would never facilitate a scenario where we placed students in danger,” Mills said. “As for the Temple situation, as most are now aware, we must allow legal processes to continue.”
“[ W] e’re waiting for justice to figure out if the allegations are true,” explained Bynum. “That’s why there’s going to be a trial. I think that there’s a lot of wild speculation. We really do need to caution ourselves. There are situations — and we hear about it every day — sometimes people are wrongly accused. And sometimes they aren’t and I think that there’s a lot of speculation that’s happening that I can’t count on. The reason we have a system where we have innocence until proven guilty is there are false accusations that are made.
“People are speculating on all kinds of things,” the Piedmont board member added. “They have no basis — nobody from school was with him [at the time of the incident]. No violence to any of the charges… Our procedure [in the school system] is very clean in our protocol that when there is a charge like [simulated masturbation] immediately people are placed on admin leave. He hasn’t been in the school [since his arrest].”
Temple was hired by RCPS during the summer of 2017, shortly after Superintendent Grimsley, then in her eleventh year with the county’s public schools — from teacher to executive director of academic services — was appointed to her post on July 1.
Grimsley wasted no time undertaking daily meetings with her executive leadership team, acting swiftly, this newspaper reported at the time, on a wide range of issues confronting the school system, both internally and externally.
Within a month’s time she completed an administrative revamping of both the elementary school and Rappahannock County High School, with county native Karen Ellis leaving the principal’s post at RCES to become RCHS principal. Ellis’ replacement to become principal was Temple, who had spent 16 years as an educator at the elementary and high school levels in Culpeper County, and more recently had been assistant principal in Wythe County.
“I am so excited and humbled to have the privilege to work alongside the students and teachers of RCES,” Temple wrote in part to the school community upon his arrival in Rappahannock.
“Although I have had many successes in my career as an educator, my greatest are of a personal nature. First I have been blessed to have married the most beautiful lady — my soulmate of 20 years Dorina, a teacher in Culpeper County. I also have the honor of being the father to three wonderful sons…
“I am a family man and hope to bring that sense of togetherness to the Rappahannock County Elementary School families and staff,” the principal said, adding that his goal was to “foster a community of positivity, support and trust.”
“It’s hard to sit on our hands and be patient but we really need to assume innocence until proven guilty,” Bynum concluded. “Our primary concern is to keep things running as smoothly as they can… All we can do is make sure the kids are having as normal a time as possible.”
Temple was hired by RCPS during the summer of 2017, shortly after Superintendent Grimsley was appointed to her post on July 1.