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A Detroit public school principal who has been on administrative leave for more than a month amid allegations of misconduct will return to his leadership position next month.
Jeffery Robinson will return to Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy on April 8, Chrystal Wilson, a spokesperson for Detroit Public Schools Community District, told BridgeDetroit. This comes after parents expressed concern and frustration about Robinson’s whereabouts, as he has been absent from school for weeks.
Academy parent action leader Melissa Redman, a frequent speaker at board meetings, spoke out about Robinson at Tuesday’s school board meeting. She said parents were not notified that the principal was placed on administrative leave.
“No robocall was sent to our parents, so of course every single day I go to work, I have parents and kids asking me questions and the only thing I can say is that he was put on administrative leave,” Redman said.
Wilson said in a statement that the district “conducted a thorough investigation regarding alleged misconduct related to Principal Robinson.”
“The investigation made findings and concluded, among other things, that Dr. Robinson may continue in leadership at the school,” the statement said.
According to a report from the district that has since been taken down from DPSCD’s website, Robinson was under investigation after a staff member saw him drag a female student by her legs down the hallway of the K-8 school. The staff member said the student seemed disturbed by the incident, according to the document. Around Jan. 29, the district’s Employee Relations department received an email from the Detroit Federation of Teachers regarding Robinson’s behavior.
During his investigatory interview, Robinson admitted to grabbing the student by her legs and dragging her into the hallway, but said it was done in a “playful” way, the report noted. A district representative then asked Robinson what he thought his actions would convey to the school’s staff and students, according to the document. The principal stated that people would see it as “being silly with the seventh grade girls,” but added that he could see his actions were unprofessional.
The agenda for Tuesday’s regular board meeting originally included a recommendation for the board to suspend Robinson for 30 days, but that portion of the agenda was removed ahead of the meeting. BridgeDetroit reached out to Robinson for comment, but he did not respond to calls or text messages.
Robinson is an expert in African-centered education in DPSCD and one of the original staff members of Malcolm X Academy, the first public African-centered school in the country, according to the school’s website. Robinson taught math and computer science for 18 years and has received several awards including the Milken Family Foundation’s Milken Educator Award in 2001 and the Wayne County RESA Middle School Teacher of the Year in 2003, the school website says.
Robinson took on the principal’s role after Paul Robeson Academy and Malcolm X Academy, once separate schools with a focus on African-centered education, combined. A former teacher at Malcolm X, Robinson has led the combined school for about 15 years.
Robinson is also a member of Detroit’s reparations task force, an assistant professor of teacher education at Wayne State University, an executive committee member of the NAACP Detroit Branch, and pastor at Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church on the city’s east side.
In 2017, Robinson unsuccessfully ran as a write-in candidate for Detroit mayor.
Robinson’s absence sparks questions
Community activist Helen Moore raised the question of Robinson’s absence at a Feb. 26 meeting of the board’s finance committee, asking why he had been missing from the school.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti responded that the principal “was put on administrative leave pending an investigation based on an allegation of misconduct.” He added that the allegation “was affirmed.”
“Now, we’re going through the investigation to determine what would be the proper discipline,” he said at the finance meeting.”That process should be finalized by the end of this week. I then have to engage the board to understand what is the right level of discipline, and we should have that decision made by the March board meeting.”
Parent Aiesha Brown was also frustrated about the lack of communication from the district. She said at Tuesday’s meeting that Robinson has not been at school since Jan. 31 and that he’s a father figure to students as well as some parents.
“There’s a sense of order when Dr. Robinson is in the building, and there has been chaos and disorder since he has been gone,” she said. “My son has been affected by his absence because he was able to go to Dr. Robinson in times of stress and frustration, and Dr. Robinson was able to calm him down, get him back on track and refocus so he can have a productive day. He no longer has that safe space.”
Former school board candidate and education advocate Tabrian Joe was also seeking answers on Robinson’s whereabouts at Tuesday’s board meeting. He said Robinson is preserving African-centered education due to his role at the academy.
“You heard from many parents today,” he told the board. “They want him, they need him to continue the education the students have received. We want answers. Be transparent.”
Vitti said Tuesday that the district was trying to find a balance between communicating with parents and not revealing too many details about the investigation.
Wilson also said in her statement that prior communication was not sent because of confidentiality related to employee matters and personnel files.
“Frankly, there’s nothing to hide,” Vitti said at Tuesday’s meeting. “Bottom line, Dr. Robinson will remain the principal at Paul Robeson Malcolm X and he’ll be returning to the school in about two weeks.”
Chalkbeat Detroit Bureau Chief Lori Higgins contributed to this story.
