WASHINGTON – The Coolidge High School principal and two other school employees face criminal charges following a fight at the school’s homecoming football game.
All three women, including principal Thelma Jarrett, were charged Thursday with misdemeanor charges of simple assault and turned themselves in to police. The women have been placed on administrative leave from District of Columbia Public Schools.
According to a police report, the principal and the two other employees knocked down, punched and kicked a former school employee after the football game Nov. 2. The victim is a former coordinator at Coolidge.
Several days after the fight, the victim told WTOP that she was still in pain and afraid.
She identified her other two attackers as registrar Donna Pixley and administrative assistant Bridget Stevens.
D.C Mayor Vincent Gray Thursday called Jarrett’s behavior shameful. He says it’s unlikely she would be re-instated.
“What a terrible role model, if you can call it that, this demonstrates to kids who look to principals to provide leadership,” Gray says. “If it’s proven to be the case, it certainly looks that way, I just don’t see how anybody can continue to run a school under those kind of conditions.”
Mark Segraves contributed to this report. Follow Mark and WTOP on Twitter.
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