Fairview High principal retires after being on paid administrative leave - Boulder Daily Camera

Longtime Fairview High Principal Don Stensrud is retiring at the end of the month after being placed on paid administrative leave in August.

He was placed on leave while the Boulder Valley School District investigated lawsuit allegations that he “repeatedly turned a blind eye to rampant sexual harassment and abuse” at the school.

Stensrud, who has served as the school’s principal for 17 years, said he was already planning to retire this year because his son is graduating in May. He declined to comment on the allegations in the lawsuit or the outcome of the district’s investigation.

“Fairview is an outstanding school,” he said. “I hope they find a wonderful principal to come in. It’s a great job.”

The lawsuit, first reported by The Denver Post, was filed against Stensrud and the school district. The suit alleges that Fairview and Stensrud failed to investigate rape claims against a student athlete. Boulder police also investigated Stensrud for potentially obstructing the police’s 2019 sexual assault investigation involving another athlete, the school’s star quarterback, according to The Denver Post.

Boulder Valley spokesman Randy Barber said the investigation into the lawsuit allegations is complete, but he couldn’t comment on the outcome because of the pending litigation.

Terry Gillach, a retired Boulder Valley principal, has been serving as the interim principal and will finish out the year at Fairview, according to an email sent to the school community.

After the holiday break, the district is planning “a comprehensive, national search” for a new Fairview principal, including meeting with staff, students and community members  to gather input. Those not able to attend the in-person meeting will be invited to provide input through a Google form.

The feedback will become part of the screening approach and will be used to develop interview questions and guide the reference check conversations, according to the email sent to the school community.

The Fairview principal position will be posted through Jan. 14. The district plans to interview for the position in February.

Along with hiring a new Fairview High principal, the school district is looking for a new leader for Boulder High School. Boulder High Principal James Hill was chosen to fill the assistant superintendent of human resources position after Mike Gradoz retires at the end of the school year.

Hill will continue as Boulder High’s principal through June.

Boulder High will follow a similar hiring process as Fairview, conducting a national search and meeting with staff, students and community members after winter break to gather input. Those not able to attend the in-person meeting will be invited to provide input through a Google form.

The district plans to interview for the position in February.

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Fairview High principal retires after being on paid administrative leave - Boulder Daily Camera
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