WEST FARGO — A West Fargo elementary school principal has resigned amid allegations that he had child porn in his possession.
David Preston George, 39, was arrested Monday, Aug. 14, on five counts of possessing certain materials prohibited by North Dakota law. That charge encompasses depictions of child sex abuse, also known as child pornography.
Charges were not filed in Cass County District Court by early Tuesday afternoon. George is being held at the Cass County Jail as he awaits his first court appearance.
He submitted a request to West Fargo Public Schools to resign his post as principal at Independence Elementary School, according to a message the district sent to families Tuesday. District administration was informed Monday that George had been arrested, and they are awaiting further information from investigators, the message said.
Independence Elementary Assistant Principal Kaye Fischer, with support from former Independence Principal Mike Shea and District Assistant Superintendent Rachael Agre, will be in charge until "a more permanent plan is put into place," the district said.
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Administrators declined to comment further in the message to parents.
"At this time, the investigating entity has not provided WFPS with any indication that the charges filed against Mr. George are connected to district students," District spokeswoman Heather Leas told The Forum.
Leas referred questions about the details of the allegations, including whether George used district-owned devices to access child porn or did so on during school hours, to the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which is overseeing the case.
The district conducts background checks on all hires before they begin their employment, Leas said. School employees cannot have a record of felonies, sexual offenses, crimes against children or "any other crime that the district would have reason to believe poses a safety risk to district students, staff, or operations or that could substantially disrupt district operations," Leas said in an email to The Forum.
"When the district is notified by law enforcement of charges against staff members, administration takes action to ensure the safety of learners and educators," Leas said. "Most often, this is done by placing the charged staff member on leave until additional information is available and a final decision on their employment status can be made."
George's record was clear when he was hired, Leas said. He was placed on administrative leave before the district received his resignation, she added.
The West Fargo Public School Board will need to approve George's resignation at its next meeting because the principal is an administrator and under contract, Leas said.
George was hired by the district in 2013 as an English learner teacher at Cheney Middle School. He was then promoted to English language coordinator for the district in 2014.
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He served as an assistant principal for Cheney from 2013 to mid-2023. The district announced in late April that George would be the next principal at Independence Elementary starting July 1.
Check back to InForum for more on this developing story.
April Baumgarten joined The Forum in February 2019 as an investigative reporter. She grew up on a ranch 10 miles southeast of Belfield, N.D., where her family raises Hereford cattle. She double majored in communications and history/political science at the University of Jamestown, N.D.
West Fargo elementary principal arrested on suspicion of possessing child porn - INFORUM
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