Families, educators and neighbors at Dunbar Career Academy in Bronzeville said they were blindsided to learn their principal and another administrator were suspended pending an investigation into alleged misconduct, the nature of which remains unclear.
Dunbar Principal Gerald Morrow and school culture director Marva Nichols were removed from their positions last week until the investigation is complete.
Chicago Public Schools officials have not shared details on the allegations, only saying the district’s leadership “exercises its discretion to remove an employee pending investigation when it is in the best interests of the school, students and staff.
“We recognize the removal of school leaders is disruptive to school communities and we will continue to support the school community during this time,” a district statement said.
Morrow, the former principal of the now-shuttered Robeson high school in Englewood, is in his 16th year at CPS. He has not responded to requests for comment.
Dozens of alumni, parents, students and community members attended an emergency local school council meeting this week to discuss the removal of their principal — but none had any indication what was happening.
Pastor Krista Alston, a community representative on the Dunbar local school council, said she felt uncomfortably in the dark about the circumstances surrounding the principal’s removal. Alston, other council members and parents felt they deserved to know more details.
“I think as a council, we were blindsided about it,” Alston said. “As a governing body of the school, we should’ve been privy [to what was coming]. ...And I felt that we were disrespected.”
Alston said she was concerned that the lack of information has led to speculation and “people to think of all kinds of crazy things” for which Morrow and Nichols could be under investigation.
“I just think we need to ask more questions,” Alston said.
Troy LaRaviere, president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, accused CPS of “hunting for something” to get rid of Morrow.
“It wasn’t just one [allegation], it was one after another after another,” he said. “It was like, ‘We’re going to find something on him, because we have to get rid of this man.’”
