This story has been updated.
A former Juneau School District principal pleaded not guilty Thursday to an assault charge stemming from an incident involving a student.
Until recently, John Paul was the principal of Montessori Borealis and Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi High School, both located at the Dzantik’i Heeni campus in Lemon Creek. He was charged with assault on April 3 after he allegedly restrained a student in March.
The school district placed him on administrative leave following the incident and announced on Friday that current Harborview Elementary School Principal Scott Jonsson will be the new principal starting in August. An interim principal, Lori Hoover, is serving in the meantime.
Heather, the student’s mom, said she filed a report with Juneau police after seeing a video of the incident. KTOO is not using her last name to protect her child’s identity.
Heather said the district has been communicative with her following the incident and thinks it was a “good idea” that Paul didn’t return to work.
“I’m glad that he’s been on administrative leave since the day it happened,” she said. “So my child has gone to school, and feels comfortable going to school.”
Paul’s pre-trial hearing is scheduled for June 15 at the Dimond Courthouse.
Peggy McCoy is the judge overseeing the case. She told Paul, who hasn’t been in police custody, he can not contact Heather or her child in the meantime.
Heather said she’s felt supported and validated throughout the process. As of Thursday afternoon, she said she’s unsure if she’ll want to move forward with her own lawsuit against the principal.
“I think I’d like to see a little bit more of how the criminal case plays out. But any of that is an option,” she said. “The video is very telling, and it was absolutely not called for … Justice needs to be served, whether that’s criminally or civilly.”
Paul’s lawyer, John Roberson III, said in an email Friday he and his client had nothing to add beyond a prior statement sent to KTOO, which said Paul disputes the charge and is presumed innocent.
The district previously confirmed when Paul was placed on administrative leave but cannot comment further on “personnel matters.”
