Assistant principal fired for misconduct with past student

Kate Peterson, Sawyer Husain, Reporters

Last month, following the early release day, teachers were pulled into an emergency staff meeting. In this meeting, staff was informed that  assistant principal Karon Wallace was being fired over his relationship with a former student over 12 years ago.

Later that day, the news was sent home to families. This left many shocked not only at the news, but at the frequency of  misconduct cases in school staff. This news comes just weeks after lawsuits were filed against former theater director Nathan Shewell.

In the email titled “Important Update from Administration to NC families,” Superintendent  Nikki Woodson explained that she received an email “from a former student stating that the former student was involved in an inappropriate relationship with an unnamed teacher at North Central High School over 12 years ago.”

Within an hour, the identity of the staff member was uncovered as Karon Wallace, who was immediately placed on leave.

The termination process began quickly after, which led to Wallace releasing a response and a full hearing under the board of education. According to the email, Wallace “elected not to request a board hearing.” Without any objections to the allegations he was officially fired on April 12, 2021. The department of education and Indiana law enforcement were both notified.

The email also announced that the school would be partnering with the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking. This partnership includes bystander training, victim and trauma informed care and multiple other valuable resources. The school is also hosting listening events for families to voice their concerns and suggestions about how to better foster a safe environment.