Gomtolpios: Man Accused of Simultaneously Working as Principal of Two Schools Located 400 Miles Apart

A man has been accused of working as the principal of a Providence, Rhode Island school—while simultaneously keeping his former job, as a middle school assistant principal, all the way in Washington, D.C.

The incident is one example of a broader trend that appeared during the COVID-19 pandemic. As many office workers transitioned to a remote workplace, some seized the opportunity to juggle additional employment, in the form of a second full-time job. However, because many full-time jobs prohibit employees from holding simultaneous positions elsewhere, these efforts are typically kept secret.

According to an August report by Forbes, about 50 percent of survey respondents "said that they've worked for another company, while on the clock with their employer." The movement has even spawned Overemployed.com, a site that teaches curious remote workers how to successfully navigate multiple full-time jobs.

In this most recent example of the ethically-murky trend, Michael Redmond, an assistant principal with D.C. Public Schools (DCPS), has been accused of holding a second full-time principal job, 400 miles away.

According to a complaint filed by the District of Columbia Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, Redmond admitted to the transgression, which violated four provisions of the District Code of Conduct.

Specifically, the code stated that D.C. employees are prohibited from "engaging in any outside employment, private business activity, or other interest that is reasonably likely to interfere with the employee's ability to perform his or her job."

He began working in-person as principal of Providence's E Cubed Academy on July 22, 2020. Meanwhile, he remained employed virtually as the assistant principal of Kramer Middle School in Washington D.C., a role he held since 2019.

Redmond managed to keep both jobs for a 17-week period, from July 22, 2020 until November 30, 2020. The complaint also stated that as an assistant principal for DCPS, Redmond made an annual salary of $125,434.

At both jobs, he worked roughly the same hours: he would begin work at 8:30 a.m. for Providence Public Schools and 8:45 a.m. for DCPS. At both positions, Redmond's day ended at 3:15 p.m.

According to The Washington Post, Redmond resigned from his DCPS role "immediately" after learning that he was not allowed to work both jobs.

"I worked virtually as the [assistant principal] for Kramer during fall 2020 fulfilling all duties and responsibilities...with highly effective ratings while also working in-person as the principal in Providence, also receiving excellent marks," said Redmond in a message to The Washington Post.

DCPS also released a statement to the news outlet. "DCPS was alerted to this concern in the fall of 2020," said spokesman Enrique Gutierrez. "Consistent with our protocols, we immediately began an investigation and reported the allegation to DC's Board of Ethics and Government Accountability for investigation."

Currently, Redmond is said to no longer be employed by either school district.