GILBERT, AZ — Power Ranch Elementary parents, staff and students protested Friday, demanding the return of their principal, Chris Reuter, and the needed transparency from the Higley Unified School District (HUSD). On Monday, parents say they still have no answers as to why Reuter left so abruptly.
“In a perfect world, we would love to have Chris Reuter back at our school,” said Erin Horn, a parent of Power Ranch Elementary. “At the end of the day, what we really want as parents is for HUSD be more transparent with us. We want to know the truth behind what took so long for them to give us information in regards to Mr. Reuter.”
The Gilbert school had been without their principal since the beginning of November.
In an email to families on November 2, the district told the Power Ranch Elementary community that their principal was “unavailable to be on campus.” In that same communication, they said they were “extremely concerned” saying there “false and damaging statements made in social media posts pertaining to the district and Power Ranch.”
“We urge our community not to assume the truth of everything that is posted,” the email said. The district did not offer any more specifics into those statements.
During another update a week later, the district said Reuter was still unavailable to be on campus.
Then, on November 14, the district said Reuter was resigning and that his resignation would be on the board agenda.
On November 15, the night of the board meeting, the Power Ranch community came out and wore red in support of Reuter. Much of the public comment that night was said in support of him and his situation.
“Every day when I came to school, I felt home. Now, I don't. I feel betrayed,” said one teacher from Power Ranch.
Reuter's wife spoke at the board meeting, alluding to rumors but gave no specifics.
“We wish you would've spoken out to help clear Chris' name since HUSD knows the truth about the horrible rumors. Even still, the damage is done,” said Lindsey Taylor Reuter, Chris’ wife.
“The executive session regarding Power Ranch previously was resolved prior to this meeting with our attorney in executive session,” the Higley Unified board president, Tiffany Shultz, said after public comment.
A day after the meeting, the board and district sent out communication to families saying Reuter resigned and that the board accepted his resignation. The district said John Dolan, a principal of the Higley Virtual Academy, would be taking on Reuter’s role for the remainder of the first semester.
On Friday, November 17, students, parents and staff members chanted at the elementary school asking for his return and district transparency. Later that morning, the district sent out another email to families addressing the rumors regarding Reuter’s resignation.
“Mr. Reuter’s resignation is unrelated to a previous investigation related to former staff member Aaron Dunton. The criminal charges filed against Aaron Dunton did not pertain to any acts or omissions that occurred during his employment with the District. We believe the rumors that these two events are linked originated from a tweet by an online activist, amplified by other social media users and the local media.
We ask that all members of the community respect the decision made by Mr. Reuter to resign and recognize that Mr. Reuter and the District worked collaboratively on the agreement that was reached. We can assure you that our priority remains our students, staff, and families. We are focused on a smooth transition of leadership at Power Ranch Elementary and on providing continued quality education for our students.”
In Reuter’s resignation letter dated November 9, he said it was "an honor to work at Power Ranch Elementary" but did not give a reason as to why he stepped aside.
ABC15 went to Reuter’s home Monday afternoon for answers.
“I'm not able to talk about it, unfortunately. I want my community to know that I love them, and I miss them, but as far as talking about it, I'm not allowed to,” he said.
Reuter’s mom also spoke out at the board meeting. On Monday, she told ABC15 she hopes her son, Chris, has a chance to clear his name and thanked the community for their support.
“Why did he resign?” ABC15 asked his mom, Joan.
“That’s for him to say. That’s confidential information that the board is not letting out,” Joan said.
ABC15 reached out to the district, asking for an interview. The district did not provide one, saying it had provided statements prior and because of the legal agreement with Reuter, it was not recommended to comment further on personnel issues.
HUSD did provide some clarification on the timeline of events but when ABC15 questioned why it took the board and district so long to publicly address the rumors surrounding Reuter and how some in the community felt like it was a forced resignation, a response was not given in time for the report.
Horn said after all this with the board, there’s a possibility the community may look into recalling the board.
“I’m hoping so. I would love to see new leadership in there. Leadership that is responsible, shows some respect and integrity for individuals. And leadership that is looking to uphold what we vote them into office for,” Horn said.
