Principal Who Clashed With Student Is Fired After Inquiry

By Keith   L. Alexander Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, December 8, 2006; Page B06

Shawn A. Hearn, the principal of Eastern Senior High School, was fired   yesterday after a school system probe into his role in four altercations --   including one that resulted in his arrest -- with students and a parent.

In a statement released by his office, D.C. Superintendent Clifford B.   Janey said the firing was "the right decision to make based on the findings of an investigation. ; School officials, however, would not  elaborate on the incidents, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters.

hired Hearn in August to help transform the high school from a low-performing institution into a Latin academy for high performers. The probe, during which school officials interviewed parents, students and teachers, revealed two incidents that had not been publicly reported.

Shawn A. Hearn, then-principal of Eastern Senior High School in Northeast Washington, leaves court last month after prosecutors dropped their assault case against him.   (By  Sarah L. Voisin -- The Washington Post)

The incident that led to the investigation of Hearn occurred Oct. 25, when he and a student were arrested after a fight in a hallway of the school, in Northeast Washington. Hearn and the student, Kenneth Holsey, 18, were charged   with misdemeanor simple assault.

Last month, prosecutors dismissed charges against Hearn and Holsey but said   they needed more time to investigate. Witnesses have been subpoenaed to   testify before a grand jury.

Sources and a police report indicate Hearn was involved in three other   incidents during the first week of school.

On Aug. 28, the first day of classes for the newly hired principal, Hearn   grabbed a female student, whom he was trying to discipline, by her waist from   behind and inadvertently scratched her lower back, according to Mark Roy, who  is familiar with the incident because he is a member of the Eastern restructuring team that worked with Hearn.

The next day, Hearn was involved in an incident with a parent, according to a school official who would not provide any details of that altercation.

On Aug. 31, Hearn grabbed another student who became irate in his office, according to a police report. That student fell to the floor and required two stitches for a head injury. No charges were filed in the incident, and police at the scene ruled it an accident.

D.C. public schools spokesman John C. White said school officials notified Hearn's attorney of the termination last night.

Contacted just hours before his termination was announced, Hearn said he was optimistic; about his future with the school system but was concerned about the investigation.

Anyone who has an ax to grind is coming out of the woodwork,  Hearn said last night. He said he was unfamiliar with any additional incidents. I don't know what is going on.

He did not return calls seeking comment after his firing was announced.

His attorney, G. Allen Dale, said he did not know of the firing before being informed by a reporter. I am totally shocked that he would be terminated, absolutely shocked that he would be terminated, Dale said last night. We'll regroup tomorrow when, I assume, we'll get notification of it.

Roy said he wasn't surprised that Hearn was fired. He broke a rule. No faculty member is allowed to have corporal punishment against students, Roy said.

White said Interim Principal Willie Lamb will continue at the school until another principal has been appointed.

Hearn had remained on administrative leave with pay since the October arrest. Hearn is also facing a $500,000 civil suit filed by Holsey's family. The incident with Holsey occurred as Hearn tried to disperse students who were watching a fight, police and witnesses said. Hearn allegedly grabbed a student, and Holsey allegedly jumped on Hearn to defend a schoolmate.

Hearn, a former Marine, received a doctorate in educational leadership with a concentration in multicultural and urban affairs from the University of Sarasota. He received his undergraduate degree in English literature.

Hearn had been an assistant principal at Annandale and Madison high schools in Fairfax County. Aside from a brief stint overseeing a summer school program in Virginia, he had not worked as a principal before being appointed head of Eastern. Hearn was Eastern's eighth principal since 1997.

Earlier in the day, before Hearn's dismissal, Janey defended Hearn's hiring but added that the school system had hired 32 other principals last year.

It's a very different experience you have when you're reviewing candidates and what you see in an application and what they knew and then what dispositions they display once they're on the job, Janey said. There's no perfect test or assessment that would give you 100 percent assurance in any employee category.