Assistant principal at Harvey High School placed on leave, under investigation

PAINESVILLE, Ohio - The assistant principal of a high school in Lake County has been placed on administrative leave while under investigation for possible misconduct with a student, the district said Tuesday.

According to Painesville Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Hanlon, "He may have violated the policy we have in place regarding the maintenance of proper boundaries with our students. We are investigating the matter further and also are cooperating with the police on their own investigation. The police investigation, which we learned about on August 30, 2012, has been under way since May 2011."

The assistant principal is assigned to Thomas W. Harvey High School.

The parents NewsChannel5 spoke to Thursday expressed frustration saying they did not learn of the incident from the school.  Instead, many parents said they read of the incident in a local paper.

"The parents should've been notified. Why were we notified through the News-Herald…  We should be notified first when something like this is going on, " said Angelica Curtis.

Curtis told NewsChannel5 her daughter is a handicapped student, who is mostly in the care of administrators at Thomas W. Harvey.

"It's sickening. Completely sickening," said Curtis. That was the first thought she told NewsChannel5 she had in her head.

It was the topic of discussion at the REDIGO Food Mart just down the street from the school. Hanlon said the man in question was working as the sports director at the time police began their investigation but this year, transitioned to assistant principal. 

"I was shocked. I happen to know the party involved and I know members of his family," said Gerald Frye.  It was Frye's first time hearing of the news and he doesn't know if the allegations are true, but said even he wants answers.

"Hopefully it isn't anything very serious, but when police are involved it sounds very serious."

Painesville police are very tight-lipped on the investigation. Neither police nor Hanlon would comment on why it took so long for police to notify the Superintendent. 

"It's devastating.  because now a child cannot go to church or school and be safe  and when parents, I know when I sent my parents to school, I wanted them to be safe," Alice McGrady, whose grandchildren are in the Painesville school system, said.

Hanlon stated, "… nothing is more important than the safety and security of the students in our care. We will not tolerate behavior that jeopardizes the trust the community and our students place in us."

So far, no announcements of an arrest have been made.