More Protests Planned as Support for Ousted Temecula Principal Grows

A website created to ’Save Hayes’ has had more than 13,000 views as of April 16, 2015.

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By City News Service:

Supporters of a Temecula middle school principal who was fired for reasons still unclear are taking their fight to have her reinstated to city hall.

Backers of former Margarita Middle School principal plan to address the Temecula City Council during a special session Monday, when the council will interview prospective candidates to fill the seat vacated by Chuck Washington, who was appointed to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in early March.

Temecula resident Craig Johns, a driving force behind the Karen Hayes reinstatement campaign, told City News Service that more than 100 supporters are expected to turn out to express their concerns about the potential candidacy of a member of the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Governors.

CNS could not immediately confirm which member had submitted an application.

“We’re tired of the good ‘ole boy network, and the council is going to hear about it,” Johns said.

He and other Hayes advocates believe the school board and Superintendent Timothy Ritter fired Hayes in retribution for her willingness to speak out against workplace hostility.

The council is slated to open Monday’s meeting to public comments at 5 p.m. After hearing from speakers, the council will go into executive session to interview candidates and review their resumes.

On Tuesday, Hayes’ supporters will gather again for the biweekly meeting of the school board, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

“We’re getting our ducks in a row. Everything is falling into place,” Johns said. “Our movement is only getting stronger.”

He said nearly 1,000 people had signed their names to a petition seeking Hayes’ reinstatement, which will be submitted to the board at a future date.

Hayes, a principal at Margarita for 13 years, was placed on paid administrative leave on March 17, and the school board voted 4-1 to release her from her contract effective June 30.

The board action followed an investigation into email correspondence between Hayes and a female teacher. The emails were apparently related to a confrontation between the teacher and a male colleague, who used profanity in front of students and caused the woman to cry, according to Hayes’ attorneys.

District officials would not comment on the specifics, releasing a statement last month saying that “further inquiry into the circumstances of the case” was underway.

In an earlier statement released to the media, Ritter characterized the controversy swirling around the principal’s dismissal as a product of “misinformation.”

“We encourage the public to recognize that there is always another side to the story and that these decisions are appropriately left to the judgment of district administration and the board,” the statement said.

Hayes’ removal triggered a student walkout and demonstration on March 20. Her support campaign now features daily website updates at http://www.savehayes.com/home.html , as well as postings on social media.

Supporters have praised Hayes for active involvement in a variety of campus programs and for supporting efforts to honor members of the military, taking a personal interest in academic and extra-curricular activities.