New Cleveland High School principal resigns ahead of student walkout

SEATTLE — New Cleveland High School principalDr. Marni Campbell resigned hours before students at the south Seattle school were scheduled to walk out in protest of the district's recent decision.

Seattle Public Schools reassigned former principal Catherine Brown, whose tenure at Cleveland spanned 18 years, after she "informed families of a plan to scale back COVID-19 contact tracing in Seattle schools, something district officials ordered her not to do," according to Brown's attorney, The Seattle Times reported.

Cleveland students organized the walkout, which is set to begin at 11:30 a.m., after the announcement was made of the reassignment of Brown and the hiring of Campbell.

KOMO News obtained a letter Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones wrote to the Cleveland community on Thursday evening.

Dear Cleveland Families and Staff,

With regret, I have accepted Dr. Marni Campbell’s decision to withdraw from the position of principal of Cleveland STEM High School. I look forward to working again with Dr. Campbell, who will continue to serve SPS in another capacity yet to be determined. I continue to believe in her ability to keep students and families at the core of her decisions and have confidence in her integrity and character.

Dr. Campbell chose to withdraw from the position because she did not want to be a distraction or hamper the future success of Cleveland students. Her words to me are worth sharing with you now:

“I have deep respect and love for the work that the Cleveland community has done for many years to create a beautiful, anti-racist, student-centered school community,” she said. “It is because of my deep respect for our work that I make this decision.”

As your superintendent, I am listening and leaning into your opinions and thoughts regarding this leadership transition. I am encouraging students, families, and staff to keep an open mind and exhibit patience. Even when expressing hurt or disagreement, it is important to model respect and understanding.

Personnel decisions and staffing transitions occur for a variety of reasons. Questions have been raised about the status of Principal Catherine Brown, who is currently on leave. SPS personnel matters are handled confidentially, and we will not be speaking on her behalf. Principal Brown has served the Cleveland community for 18 years and positively impacted many students, staff members, and families.

My focus now is to identify the healthiest path forward for the Cleveland community. I look forward to working in harmony to find the next leader of Cleveland High School.

Bev Redmond, the assistant superintendent of public affairs at Seattle Public Schools, said the following in a statement:

"At this time we are handling this issue in the same way we handle all personnel matters. It is our standard practice to not discuss personnel matters, out of respect for all involved. Refraining from comment is also standard when litigation is anticipated. As we have shared previously, the district invests significant time and careful attention in the selection and placement of building leaders, ensuring every school has a highly qualified leader with a proven commitment to equity."

Brown was the assistant principal at Cleveland for more than seven years, according to her LinkedIn profile, before taking over the principal position this year. She had worked at Cleveland — in teaching and administrative roles — since 2004.

According to The Seattle Times, Brown sent a letter to Cleveland families on May 10 saying she was under investigation by the district.

Students demanded Brown keep her position, and if not, they asked the district to make a hire with the input of students and teachers.

Cleveland students and parents flooded Wednesday night's school board meeting, raising concerns about Campbell. The Seattle Times reportedone of the primary concerns was about her role in a sexual abuse lawsuit against the district, which was settled in 2015.

Campbell, who was the principal of Eckstein Middle School in 2005, learned about a student who reported allegations of one of her teachers making sexual comments about her body and touching her inappropriately, according to The Seattle Times, which reported that "in the lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that Campbell failed to remove the student from the class and said the student needed counseling and was seeking attention."