Marian Kim Phelps suspended: Poway Unified School District superintendent placed on admin leave after school board dragging their feet for months over allegations of abuse of power and intimidation of students.
Abuse of power… The superintendent of a Californian school board has been suspended amid allegations that she bullied students who failed to clap ‘enthusiastically enough’ when her daughter won an award.
Marian Kim Phelps the superintendent of the 36,000-student Poway Unified School District, north of San Diego, since April 2017 was placed on paid administrative leave during the week pending an investigation.
In May 2023, coaches, students and parents allege the educator threatening students at Del Norte High School following an end-of-season awards banquet for the softball team.
‘Can I call you now?’
Her daughter Jessica Phelps won an award at the banquet, only for Marian Kim Phelps ‘to feel’ that some of her teammates did not show enough enthusiasm for her daughter’s accolade, ABC10 News reported.
The superintendent is accused of retaliating against her daughter’s teammates after allegedly contacting students by text message, late at night, and demanding they apologize or else lose graduation privileges.
A screenshot from a text message allegedly shows Phelps contacting a student at 11:04pm, asking: ‘Can I call you now?’
The student replies: ‘Yes!’
In November, one of the students sued, accusing Phelps of pursuing a campaign of punishment and harassment against her and her teammates.
Poway Unified superintendent denies intimidating or threatening students
An outside law firm was brought in, and on Thursday Phelps was suspended at what the board said was a ‘sensitive point’ in the investigation.
The firm, Dannis Woliver Kelley, is looking into the conduct of district staff, students, administrators and the superintendent.
‘We have reached a sensitive point in the investigation and received information regarding the impact of this process,’ the board said in the statement.
‘In an effort to avoid distraction and to ensure continued focus on the district’s business and commitment to serving our students and community, the board is placing the superintendent on paid administrative leave, effective immediately.’
Phelps said her daughter was being bullied by another Del Norte High student, but denied threatening other students.
‘Never at any time have I made threats towards any student nor tried to prevent them from graduating,’ she said in a statement in November.
But parents and students have been left upset by Phelps’s behavior, and at board meetings staged protests with placards reading ‘clapping is a freedom of expression’, and ‘stop the abuse of power’.
Did a school board turn a blind eye?
Ted Buchen, a parent of a Del Norte High student, told NBC News he was ‘relieved’ that Phelps had been placed on leave.
‘Amongst multiple people in the community, we’ve been to four, five board meetings,’ Buchen said. ‘We’ve sent multiple text messages and emails to actual board members. There’s been over 100 pages of evidence provided to the board members, and none of that seemed to move the needle.
‘So many families cut their necks out and went to board meetings and risked defamation in the community, their kids not playing softball, whatever it may be.
‘And the board initially, in my opinion, didn’t listen.’
Rachell Babler, another parent, agreed with Buchen that the board was slow to act.
‘I think it’s a step in the right direction, but I have questions as to why now because the board has had evidence for months,’ she said.
Until Kim Phelps suspension, the school board was accused of turning a blind eye. even in the face of a ‘mountain of evidence.’
Alan Stockton, head coach of the Del Norte High junior varsity softball team for 13 years, told The San Diego Union Tribune that the paid leave is ‘a good start.’
‘I don’t know why it took them so long to come to this conclusion,’ he said. ‘This has been going on for seven or eight months now.
‘I’m glad the girls are going to hopefully see what they stood up for is coming to justice.
‘They’re the ones most affected by all of this.’
An interim or replacement superintendent is expected to be announced in the coming days.
