Kentucky high school principal removed from position following student walkouts
After two days of student sit-ins on the high school football field, Rowan County school officials announced the removal of Jordan Mann as school principal for the remainder of the school year.
In a prepared statement released by the district at 4 p.m. April 30 to "Rowan County Stakeholders" and sent to The Courier Journal, Superintendent Michael Rowe wrote Mann was "reassigned to other duties outside" the high school for the rest of the school year.
An acting principal will be named shortly by district leadership.
"Our top priority is to maintain a safe, peaceful, and positive environment at Rowan County Senior High School — one that supports student success both academically and socially," Rowe wrote. "As we look forward to a fun and memorable prom and a well-earned graduation, we are focused on making sure these important milestones are celebrated without distraction."
The announcement comes after students walked out of school at around 9:30 a.m. on April 29 to do a sit-in on the football field as a peaceful protest to Mann's employment.
They chanted 'No more Mann!' and held up signs that said 'Fire Mann' and 'Did the smash list come in the Old or New Testament'. The latter refers to a slang term for people who someone would want to have casual sex with.
The term was revealed in new court documents from a civil lawsuit that involves Mann and former girls soccer coach Andrew Zaheri. The exhibit included an alleged vulgar text chain between Mann and Zaheri during a professional development training in August 2022.
The exhibit starts with a text from Zaheri to Mann: "Ironic, look to my right who is sitting back to back."
"You have quite the smash list in this room," Mann texted back.
Another recently filed court document ― a notice to take deposition ― noted at least seven reports made to Mann beginning that fall of 2022 regarding an alleged inappropriate relationship involving Zaheri and a then-girls soccer player.
Zaheri was arrested by Kentucky State Police in February 2023. Zaheri is currently in federal prison, serving concurrent federal and state sentences on child pornography and child sex abuse charges tied to a criminal case involving the same athlete, who is the plaintiff in the current civil suit.
Another sign the students held in protest said: "It's always the coaches and the priests."
Zaheri's case was detailed in "Silence & Secrets," an investigation released Dec. 4 by The Courier Journal that focuses on the prevalence of child sexual abuse cases involving Kentucky school coaches.
The newspaper found at least 80 cases of alleged child sexual misconduct by Kentucky middle- and high-school coaches during the past 15 years.
Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative sports reporter, with a focus on the health and safety of athletes. She can be reached at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her for updates at @stephkuzy.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Rowan student protests result in principal Jordan Mann removal
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