Healdsburg High principal cleared after probe into comments about her previous work

The Healdsburg Unified School District's investigation into Healdsburg High School Principal Amy Jones-Kerr found “absolutely nothing” to substantiate concerns that she fostered a toxic or unsafe environment as superintendent of Roseland Public Schools, according to the school board.

Board members met in closed session Aug. 18 to discuss the investigation, which the district launched in May after parents and students raised concerns about Jones-Kerr’s leadership as Roseland’s superintendent.

In open session after the confidential discussion, Mike Potmesil, vice president of the district’s school board, gave a report on the close of the process.

"The investigation revealed absolutely nothing to substantiate any of the concerns or criticisms against Ms. Jones-Kerr,“ he said. ”Therefore, we’re moving forward.“

Jones-Kerr, who signed on in Healdsburg Unified after resigning from her superintendent role last November, said she is glad that chapter has been closed.

“I think that people felt like they wanted to be reassured and I’m happy that happened,” she said. “That makes me feel good, to prove who I am and what I represent.

“I love my new job. It’s been wonderful getting to know my students, staff, families and the community,” she said. “I come to work with a huge smile on my face everyday.”

Healdsburg Unified parents and students had raised concerns with the school district in April, soon after learning that officials were hiring Jones-Kerr.

Students created an online petition to protest her employment, and parents reached out asking to meet with Healdsburg Unified’s Superintendent Chris Vanden Heuvel, who hired Jones-Kerr.

The catalyst for many of those concerns was a Facebook thread started in October 2020 by Calvin Benson, a 2017 graduate of Roseland University Prep, one of four schools in the K-12 Roseland district.

Benson asked people to share their experiences as students in the Roseland district.

Scores of students and alumni of Roseland schools responded and described instances of bullying, harassment, racism and other discriminatory behaviors they claimed to have experienced.

Many of the comments attributed these acts to a number of teachers, counselors and other staff from various Roseland campuses.

Jones-Kerr’s name was mentioned a few times, but not in connection with any specific allegations of misconduct.

Still, some Healdsburg Unified parents and students who read through the comments worried about Jones-Kerr’s ability to foster a healthy environment for students from diverse backgrounds. District officials, though, repeatedly stated that they believed she could further the school district’s equity goals.

“I do think over time, they’ll see who she is and what she’s about,” Vanden Heuvel said. “She’s very strongly equity-minded and will do good things for our high school.”

The investigator Healdsburg Unified hired — an attorney with the law firm Fagen, Friedman and Fulfrost — reached out to some of the people who made comments on social media, Potmesil said.

“We cannot take action solely based on rumors and social media,” he said. “We can only take action based on the facts that are reported.”

The investigation encompassed more than 40 hours of interviews and outreach, Potmesil said.

Lizbeth Perez, one of the parents who asked Vanden Heuvel to consider parents’ questions and concerns earlier this year, said she and others were glad to hear no incidents of misconduct came up.

But many now have questions related to the investigation, she said — about who the attorney interviewed and what specific conversations took place.

“We didn’t know how deep the investigation went into ... what she did, what she did not,” Perez said.

Potmesil encouraged the community to show support for Jones-Kerr, and reminded parents and students to notify officials anytime they have a report of harmful experiences anywhere in the Healdsburg Unified district.

“Please know that our commitment to creating and maintaining safe schools for all students and all staff is a priority for all of our organization,” he said. “So if you have a concern, please come forward in a manner that gives us the information we need to take action. Your voices matter.”

You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.