In an email sent to staff, parents and students Nov. 18, Principal Eric Juli revealed he would be leaving his position. Juli explained that leading the school through Covid and recent changes has left him exhausted and subject to constant criticism. He has served as high school principal since August 2019. Juli’s last day at the high school will be Nov. 26 – but today was his last day with students in the building.
Although Juli’s decision to resign in the middle of the semester may seem abrupt to some, it is important to consider everything that he has accomplished during his time at the high school. In his five years as principal, Juli has been a tireless advocate for improved security measures. His actions have been relentlessly critiqued, but the truth is that no other SHHS principal has been able to implement metal detection or successfully require students to wear IDs at all times.
Juli’s Sept. 18 implementation of daily manual screenings before school forced Dr. David Glasner, superintendent, to commit to installing weapon detectors inside the high school entrance by Dec. 2. Glasner announced a delay in that timeline in a 3 p.m. email message today. Nevertheless, Juli has done more for school safety than any principal before him. Regardless of your opinion of him, the impact of his service in this regard cannot be denied.
Following Juli’s resignation announcement, Glasner announced that Isaiah Wyatt, currently an assistant principal at the Innovative Center for Personalized Learning, will serve as interim principal for the remainder of the school year, beginning Dec. 2. We congratulate Wyatt on his new position, and we wish him luck in the coming months. By next school year, a new principal will be appointed, and Wyatt will be considered for the post if interested.
As the district embarks on its search for the high school’s next leader, there are a few important considerations that we hope will be taken into account. We understand that our next principal may differ from Juli in personality and leadership style, but we hope that they uphold his legacy of prioritizing school safety, and that they are committed to building connections with students and with the community, just as Juli has been. We appreciate what Juli has done for us as principal, and we wish him well on whatever path he chooses to take going forward.
