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Episcopal School of Dallas administrator at center of civil case promoted; another retires One of the administrators at the middle of the contentious lawsuit against the Episcopal School of Dallas is being promoted just four months after playing a central role in the trial that led to a multimillion-dollar judgment against the school. Erin Mayo, 42, will become the assistant head of school for academics while continuing to serve as the head of Upper School, officials announced Tuesday. Rebecca Royall, another central figure in the case, is retiring for health reasons, officials said. Royall was the school’s chief academic officer. Mayo became a key figure in the case, which was brought by the parents of a girl who had a sexual relationship with a teacher, then was forced to withdraw after the relationship was discovered. The teacher, Nathan Campbell, resigned after police discovered him in the car with the girl in a parking lot. He received 10 years’ deferred adjudication probation for sexual assault of a child. The girl graduated from another school and earned an athletic scholarship to college. A jury awarded the family more than $9 million in damages, but attorneys now say duplications in the judgment put the amount closer to $6 million. .... When the letter announcing the changes was sent out, a comment from Mayo was included: “I wrote something that ended up causing pain and I am sorry for it. I’ve made my life about trying to lift people up, as I will gratefully continue to do here at the Episcopal School of Dallas.” A note from the school board’s executive committee said, “A single email written during a very difficult time does not define who Erin Mayo is and she has our full support in her new role.” During the case’s closing arguments, attorneys for the family called strongly for changes in policy, procedures and administration at the school, where three other siblings graduated. The family declined comment after the Tuesday announcement, but their attorney, Charla Aldous, said she believes Mayo should have been fired. Dallas Attorney Charla Aldous in Dallas Morning News article on the Episcopal School of Dallas “When I learned that Erin Mayo had been promoted at ESD, I was beyond disappointed, shocked and amazed,” she said. She said the promotion “is indicative of the failed leadership in place at ESD.” Tuesday’s announcement came from Swann, who said last week that he would be stepping down as headmaster in the next 18 to 24 months to become chairman emeritus of the school’s endowment. Swann, 67, started the school 37 years ago and built it into one of the city’s top private institutions. Officials stressed then that his decision was not prompted by the lawsuit but had been planned for several years because of the headmaster’s age. http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20120103-episcopal-school-of-dallas-administrator-at-center-of-civil-case-promoted-another-retires.ece ©2011, The Dallas Morning News |
