The athletic director at North High School, who was accused of having a camera in her office and recording students who gathered there, was escorted from the school last week and has been placed on administrative leave as the accusations are being investigated.
Carrie Stewart was placed on paid leave May 2, said Mark Williamson, a spokesperson for Akron Public Schools. He said in a text message that a recent report that cleared former North High School Principal Kathryn Rodocker of creating a toxic work environment led to questions about Stewart’s behavior.
“There were several issues raised concerning the athletic director,” he wrote. “Stewart is on paid administrative leave.”
Stewart did not return a phone call seeking comment, but she told Signal Akron last week that she had placed one camera in a storage area in her office to protect items she had purchased.
“Because it was my storage area, I thought I could put a camera up,” she said. “It was not a secret.”
Stewart said she was “a little unnerved” after 25 years in the district with “never a single complaint.”
“There were never any cameras to tape students,” Stewart told Signal Akron. “That was never a thing.”
Teachers’ union, district conducting separate investigations
Stewart told Signal Akron previously that she wanted to limit her comments due to fear of retaliation. She said the camera was only in her office for a few months, though the report released last week indicated it was there longer. In the report, Stewart also said the camera was there with the approval of the Akron Education Association, the teachers’ union.
Pat Shipe, the president of the AEA, said that group was conducting its own investigation into Stewart. She said she didn’t know how long such a process would take; the district’s investigation into Rodocker began last summer and kept her on leave until Monday, when she returned to a role at the district office.
“We’re going to let the process take its course,” Shipe said.
Mike Defibaugh, the director of labor relations for Akron Public Schools, is leading the district’s investigation, Williamson said. Defibaugh did not return a phone call seeking comment, but he told Signal Akron previously that the report that looked into accusations about Rodocker’s leadership was “the beginning for our office.”
“This isn’t the end,” he said.
