Manatee Elementary School principal removed for ‘disciplinary reasons’

Former Manatee Elementary School principal Deborah Houston has been reassigned to an administrative role in the district after an investigation by the school district’s Office of Professional Standards, school officials said Monday.

On Monday, Kimberley Organek took over as principal at Manatee. Previously, Organek was the director of the district’s elementary curriculum and professional learning team.

“I have reassigned Manatee Elementary School Principal Deborah Houston to the district office in January due to disciplinary reasons,” Superintendent Diana Greene wrote in an email to the Bradenton Herald. “Her reassignment is being made in the best interest of the Manatee Elementary School community and has nothing to do with students.”

At her home Monday afternoon, Houston declined to comment on any of the allegations but said the decision was not fair.

“I’m devastated. If there were just cause I would suck it up and take it like a big girl, but there is no cause for me not to be (at Manatee Elementary) with my babies,” Houston said.

District spokesman Mike Barber said the school’s Office of Professional Standards conducted an investigation into an incident involving Houston, and that she decided voluntarily go on personal leave as a result of the investigation.

District lawyer Mitchell Teitelbaum said the investigation was not publicly available yet due to state law. Teitelbaum said investigations are typically available after 10 days, but that can be extended.

Greene declined to elaborate on the circumstances of Houston’s removal, but she said she was optimistic about Houston’s future with the district.

“While I do hold principals to a higher standard than other groups of employees, just because a principal makes a mistake does not the mean that they must be fired,” Greene wrote. “I have complete faith that Ms. Houston can be a valuable contributor to this school district in a support capacity.”

Greene’s statement is nearly identical to a statement she released last year following the reassigning of former Sugg Middle Principal Darlene Proue. District officials moved Proue from Sugg to an assistant principal position at Southeast High School with little explanation after about a month of school last year.

Barber said Organek is not serving in an interim capacity.

This story was originally published December 5, 2016 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Manatee Elementary School principal removed for ‘disciplinary reasons’."