NEWS CITY DESK
Principal Opposition Staff members at Johnson Middle School allege the principal has fostered a workplace of frustration and fear, which hurts the students. By Amanda Michelle Gomez @AmanduhGomez Denied leave requests. Required evening and weekend work. Demoralized educators. More than 20 staff members at John Hayden Johnson Middle School met with DC Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee, Cluster IX Instructional Superintendent David Pinder, and Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White on Oct. 9, 2020, to share these grievances about their new principal, Dwan Jordon. “It’s time for him to go,” a staff member said near the end of the three-hour meeting. (All staff members mentioned in this story requested anonymity for fear of personal or professional retaliation from Jordon. Some feared they’d be branded as troublemakers.) “Right now, Johnson is not what Johnson used to be, or what Johnson is known to be.” The employee, who’s worked at Johnson for more than a decade, says she’d never done anything like this. She’d only reached out to her union once before, years ago, but now contacts her representative weekly, if not daily, to voice concerns about her school. Her colleagues at the meeting, whom she described as “a family,” echoed her sentiments. “I have attempted to talk to [Jordon],” another staff member said. “We are told to
go through other people. It’s almost like it’s beneath him to talk to us.” That same day, 30 staff members—a combination of teachers and support staff—signed and sent Pinder and White a petition requesting Jordon’s immediate removal. Johnson’s total staff, including custodians, security staff, and cafeteria workers, numbers around 70. “The staff feels discouraged and worried that the constant pressure and intimidation will affect staff performance and Johnson Middle School students,” the petition says. Five months later, the conflict has only intensified. Jordon, who has worked in education for more than 20 years and started at Johnson in July, is still leading the middle school, located on Bruce Place SE. Meanwhile, at least five employees have left and even more requested transfers to other schools within DCPS, according to multiple staff members. “I know almost the entire seventh and eighth grade class. I know everybody by name,” says one employee who started at Johnson in 2017 but quit in the middle of the year due to his conflict with Jordon. “I really feared that [once] I resigned, the kids would think it was because of them … It hurt a lot to resign.” The situation at Johnson can be seen as a byproduct of new leadership during an extraordinarily challenging time. But those calling for
Jordon’s removal argue his leadership style has turned their school into a toxic work environment. It’s the kind of workplace where staff members say they receive text messages at 4:37 a.m. from the principal asking who’s responsible for posting on the school’s Facebook, and where people are allegedly shown their own job descriptions when they raise concerns. “I can’t believe I am now a Dean [of Students],” Jordon said in one text exchange, expressing his disappointment to the worker serving in that role. There’s little trust and grace afforded despite the circumstances, according to multiple staff, and the principal likes to test his employees through assignments—allegedly telling one employee “I wanted to see what you were going to do as a man.” When City Paper listed the allegations against him and requested an interview, Jordon stated he is “unable to speak to specific personnel matters.” “In my first year as principal at Johnson Middle School I have been impressed with the overall work ethic and commitment of our staff to our students and families and I know that they share my commitment to moving us from a 2-star (designated by [the Office of the State Superintendent of Education] metrics) school to a 5-star school,” his statement continues. He ultimately declined an interview. City Paper interviewed 10 current and former Johnson staff members and reviewed dozens
of email and text message exchanges between staff and Jordon, along with video of the Oct. 9 meeting between staff and officials. Workers allege Jordon violated the Washington Teachers’ Union contract when he changed school hours without buy-in from staff. They also took issue with his leadership style, describing him as a bully. Even though their jobs changed dramatically due to the pandemic, they say they are discouraged from asking questions, albeit not explicitly. Among the more serious allegations teachers report is a fear of failing students who are not meeting benchmarks because they worry how the principal might respond. Most recently, staff have accused Jordon of retaliating against multiple people in their teacher evaluations after learning they reported him to his superiors. “About seven teachers that I’ve talked to—just in casual conversation when it comes to grading—they will, they’d much rather change points or something so that students can get a D rather than an F, so that they don’t have to deal with any backlash or questioning about how many students are failing their class,” one teacher says. Two teachers corroborated this sentiment, but no teachers who reportedly admitted to changing grades would speak with City Paper. “We’re already in a pandemic, which is a stressful environment, and he’s just adding to it,” a fourth staff member tells City Paper. “What are you doing? Are you online? Are you with a kid? Are you in a meeting? And who are you meeting with?” she says, modeling Jordon’s questions. “And if you send an email, ‘Why are you sending this email? Who are you sending the email to? Did I approve the email? If I don’t approve the email, don’t send the email’—and it’s just a lot of micromanaging.” When staff members ask questions or
Darrow Montgomery
John Hayden Johnson Middle School
8 march 2021 washingtoncitypaper.com
