D.C. public school officials are investigating claims of misconduct at John Eaton Elementary after staff accused their principal of creating a hostile work environment and called for his resignation. A parents association is also calling for the leader’s removal.
A June 14 letter signed by 40 staff members, including every teacher, detailed several allegations against Principal Steven Eskay. It claimed he openly discussed confidential information about children and staff and used disparaging language about both groups. Among other things, the letter says Eskay described an autistic student as “Rain Man" and yelled profanities at staff. Signatories also said the principal failed to address the needs of students appropriately.
The staffers said their attempts to address these concerns through established channels had been unsuccessful. “We decided we had to get loud if we were going to get any sort of action,” a teacher at Eaton Elementary who signed the letter told The Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about a boss.
In an email to Eaton staff obtained by The Washington Post, Andria Caruthers, the instructional superintendent who oversees Eaton, said district officials are reviewing claims against Eskay and launching an investigation. Caruthers declined in the message to provide further comment, citing her role as Eskay’s supervisor, but she wrote that she is “committed to supporting the school moving forward in the most restorative way following our thorough review.”
Eskay, who has been at the school since August, declined to comment on the matter. D.C. Public Schools officials declined to comment or answer questions about the allegations at Eaton.
One of the city’s top-performing elementary schools, Eaton serves more than 400 prekindergarten through fifth-grade students. It feeds into Hardy Middle School, which ended the school year without a permanent principal after its previous leader left following parent complaints.
Officials with the Washington Teachers’ Union hosted a closed meeting at Eaton last week, hearing more about the allegations against Eskay.
Among the grievances listed in the staff letter were accusations of verbal abuse, violations of hiring and budget protocols, as well as claims of racial discrimination, gender discrimination, misogyny, intimidation and bullying.
An addendum listed specific examples. For example, signatories allege Eskay called students “assholes.” When referring to trans students, he reportedly said, “Isn’t trans just another word for gay or lesbian,” according to the letter.
Meagan Mitchell, a former social worker at Eaton, said she left in November because of Eskay. When the school year began in August, she noticed some of his behaviors were a bit “questionable.” She remembers Eskay admitting, “I never wanted to be principal; I just hated my old job more.”
She says she didn’t want to work under someone who she believed was indifferent to his role and responsibilities. “Do I want to stay here, and is it worth it?” she says she asked herself in October. Mitchell said she also received no assistance from the district after voicing concerns.
Mitchell, who had been in the field of social work since 2015, recalled thinking, “It’s almost like not only did I need to leave, but I had to leave due to my own personal health and mental health,” she said. “I was having extreme anxiety.”
In an emergency meeting last Wednesday, the John Eaton Home and School Association (HSA) unanimously voted for a resolution calling for Eskay to be removed. Eskay was still on campus through last week.
According to the teacher, there have been grievances against Eskay since September, but it was not until May when teachers finally started meeting to compare notes on their shared concerns. Many of the claims made against Eskay primarily come from women, specifically women of color, the teacher said. “None of the men on our staff reported the depths of this kind of behavior. If anything, they may have witnessed very off-color comments that were shared with them kind of like as bros but not directed at them,” the Eaton teacher said.
Nicolas Durand, a parent at Eaton and the HSA’s vice president of communications, said many parents had no idea of the issues with Eskay until the teachers released their letter. “We loved him very much. He was driven and clearly very smart,” Durand said.
Not all parents were surprised. Michelle K. Massie, a parent at Eaton Elementary, described her experience with Eskay as “dismissive” and said she felt many of her concerns were overlooked when brought to his attention, as if she were “invisible.”
“I was shocked that it took this long for this to come out,” Massie said. “It’s a testament that the teachers have been going through this level of hostility for over a year and they have been able to still show up for our children.”
Eventually, parents signed their own petition, backing the teachers and calling for Eskay’s removal.
The allegations against Eskay follow protests at another D.C. elementary school, Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School, where parents and students protested over what they said is poor communication from administrators, leadership concerns and teacher turnover. They have since formed a petition expressing no confidence in the school’s executive director that has garnered more than 200 signatures. In that instance, district officials said they are “committed to working collaboratively with every member of our community in support of our mission and values.”
Teachers cite abuse, demand principal's resignation at Eaton Elementary - The Washington Post
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