On Tuesday, May 22, Seattle Public Schools released (in a memo to interim Superintendent Susan Enfield) the findings of an investigation into alleged misconduct by Lafayette Elementary Principal Jo Lute-Ervin in her handling of a sexual harassment claim involving students. The investigation found the principal did not violate school board policy, but recommended a better approach in the future.

It all started in early April when a male Lafayette Elementary student allegedly made inappropriate gestures that were possibly sexual in nature.

A student witness to the gestures told her parents, and those parents complained of sexual harassment to the principal on April 10, according to the SPS memo on the investigation.

The questioning of Lute-Ervin’s handling of the situation arose in what came next.

The principal launched an investigation by interviewing five student witnesses of the incident on April 13, according to the SPS memo. She reported back to concerned parents that “her investigation confirmed the student has used inappropriate gestures, which had already been addressed by the classroom teacher, but did not confirm that the student had touched himself in a sexual manner.”

Outrage followed as some parents learned their children were interviewed without parental consent or attendance, and that Lute-Ervin asked the witnesses to physically act out the inappropriate gesture they saw (this was confirmed in the SPS investigation).

A parent alleged Lute-Ervin refused to allow her to sit in on the interview with her child, however the investigation found “evidence indicates the principal was not aware the request was from the parent of the child being interviewed.”

The report concluded that Lute-Ervin had not violated SPS policy in her handling of the situation, but Aurora Lora, executive director of schools, met with the principal on April 25 and “provided advice on ways to improve her response to sensitive allegations of student misconduct in the future.”

Specific recommendations included having another adult present when “sensitive subjects are involved, not asking students to demonstrate gestures used, informing parents before and after of such interviews, and providing better information to substitute teachers to inform them of problematic situations they may encounter.”

Per Superintendent Enfield’s request, SPS employees met with the entire Lafayette Elementary staff during the week of May 21 “to assure a positive learning environment is maintained between now and the end of the school year.”

The memo also mentioned Lute-Ervin will leave her post as principal at Lafayette at the end of this school year, “unrelated to this incident,” that the hiring process for her replacement is near completion, and that Lute-Ervin’s new position within the district next fall is unknown.

Seattle Public Schools plans to do mandatory training for administrative school staff during the summer on “identifying and investigating allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and bullying.”

The incident at Lafayette was originally picked up and covered by Melissa Westbrook, reporting for Seattle Schools Community Forum (a blog dedicated to school news).

In a follow-up report after SPS released their findings, Westbrook was critical of the investigation by stating, “While (Lute-Ervin’s) investigation didn’t violate school district policy (i.e. Board policy), it left out the Superintendent’s own procedures which are very clear on what is to happen if there is a sexual complaint.”

She also questioned Lute-Ervin’s claim, “that the parent who wanted to sit in on the meeting with her child (a witness to the alleged inappropriate gestures) was a person she didn’t know and had a different last name from the child … (and) that the parent did not identify herself as the student’s mother.”