The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district announced Thursday it is hiring Jesse Casey as the next principal for East Chapel Hill High School.

“It is an extreme honor and privilege to be named the next Principal of East Chapel Hill High School,” Casey said in a statement from CHCCS. “East’s success as a high-performing school is well known. In my short time there it was evident that the diverse community, staff and most importantly the amazing students are what make East such a great school.”

Jesse Casey, the new principal of East Chapel Hill High School. (Photo via Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.)

Casey has served as the principal at a school in Virginia’s Henrico County Public Schools since 2013. While in that role, Casey developed behavioral programs to improve student behavior, as well as a mentoring initiative. Earlier in his career, he taught middle school social studies in Richmond and Chesapeake, VA. Casey holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and elementary education from William & Mary and a master’s degree in education from Virginia Commonwealth.

Leadership of the CHCCS district has ties to Henrico County Public Schools. Superintendent Dr. Nyah Hamlett worked in the Virginia school system for several years before her hiring at CHCCS in November 2020.

East Chapel Hill High has been in search of a principal since Ken Proulx left the position at the end of the 2021 calendar year. Around the same time, East Chapel Hill came under scrutiny, as educators in the Exceptional Children department expressed concern over alleged administrative actions. Reports of their complaints sparked student protests about diversity in classrooms.

Aaron Acome has been serving as interim principal since Proulx’s departure.

According to CHCCS, Casey plans to visit East Chapel Hill High on March 4 for further introductions before officially moving into the role. Casey will officially start as ECHHS principal on July 1.

 

Featured image via Wikimedia Commons

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