District names new Riverview High principal following school allegations

Sarasota County Schools has moved the principal of Riverview High School into a district-level position amid controversy over a third-party review that alleged both school and district leaders mishandled complaints of teacher misconduct at the school.

Current Riverview High Principal Erin Haughey will swap roles with Director of Secondary Curriculum Michelle Anderson. The change will become effective July 1. Haughey had served as the Riverview principal for the past nine years. 

The transition comes a week after Suncoast Searchlight published details of a third-party review commissioned by the district to vet complaints of cheating, sexual harassment and misuse of school resources at Riverview High. 

The district did not mention the controversy as a reason for the change, instead framing the “leadership transitions” as a reflection of its “commitment to strengthening student outcomes across the district.” The third-party report has yet to be discussed publicly by district officials.

“We are fortunate to have exceptional leaders throughout Sarasota County Schools,” Superintendent Terry Connor said in the news release. “Mrs. Haughey and Dr. Anderson both demonstrate a strong commitment to student achievement and educational excellence. Their expertise and experience will help us continue delivering outstanding opportunities for every student we serve.”

Earlier this month, Connor told school board members he was moving future misconduct investigations from district human resources into its own department.

Sarasota County Schools spokesperson Craig Maniglia declined to comment on the report last week, saying the matter has not been “fully resolved.”

That report, conducted by Hultman + Joshi, pointed to a culture of fear and mistrust at Riverview High School, missed opportunities to educate allegedly problematic teachers and failures to protect whistleblowers.

The review examined three separate complaints at the school starting in 2020.

One involved allegations that a Spanish teacher allowed students to use prewritten scripts on fluency tests. Another reviewed allegations that a teacher behaved inappropriately with female students, and a third involved a teacher’s side business using school resources.

Initial investigations within the district cleared the teachers accused of cheating and sexual harassment. The side business was determined to be against district policy, but it was allowed to continue for years, according to the report.

The third-party review found both school leaders and district investigators did not do enough to intervene. 

“The common theme was failure in culture and leadership,” wrote Nikhil Joshi, who authored the report accusing RHS leadership of allowing “tumult and inconsistency to foment at the floor level of the school.”

Derek Gilliam is an investigative/watchdog reporter for Suncoast Searchlight. Email him at derek@suncoastsearchlight.org.