Under investigation for harassment, Shawnee Mission principal moved to online program
Paul Colwell, a Shawnee Mission principal who is under investigation for harassment and creating a toxic culture at the district’s alternative school, has been moved to a new position for the start of this upcoming semester.
Colwell has been placed on “modified duty” for the duration of the investigation. On Monday, district spokesman David Smith confirmed that Colwell will not transfer to Shawnee Mission West High School this semester as officials had originally planned. Instead, Smith said, Colwell will assist with organizing the remote learning program for students who have opted out of returning to in-person classes due to COVID-19.
Colwell, who served as principal of Shawnee Mission Horizons High School for five years, was the subject of a Star story in June, in which current and former students and employees accused him of making racist and sexist remarks, intimidation, sexual harassment and bullying. In one incident, a transgender student said he became suicidal because of Colwell’s mistreatment.
Employees came forward earlier this year about Colwell’s alleged behavior, filing complaints with the human resources department and emailing dozens of grievances to the school board. One claim of sexual harassment was deemed substantiated and a violation of district policy, according to a document obtained by The Star.
After the human resources investigation, Colwell announced in March he would transfer to Shawnee Mission West to serve as associate principal. But because of The Star’s report, the school board in late June agreed to appoint an independent investigator for $45,000, to examine the allegations and district’s investigation.
Meanwhile, more than 1,400 people have signed a Change.org petition called “Fire Paul Colwell.”
At Monday’s school board meeting, members were expected to approve the appointment of Walt Thompson, a former principal at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas, to serve as an interim associate principal at West. He will fill the role left vacant by Colwell, but Smith said how long he will remain in that position has not been determined.
When asked about the outside investigation into accusations against Colwell, Smith said, “the external investigation has not concluded, and I do not have any information about it.”
District officials previously said in a statement that the human resources department’s investigation into complaints made against Colwell “was thorough and done in accordance with board policies.”
But officials said they were proceeding with an outside investigation because The Star’s “article included new information not previously reported. Given the new information contained in the article, and due to the now public nature of this issue, the district will secure a third party to conduct an independent and confidential investigation.”
Before the school board hired the investigator, member Jessica Hembree pressed Superintendent Mike Fulton on whether the investigation would include a review of the district’s process for handling staff complaints.
“I’m just trying to confirm that if there were any portions where we had complaints in front of us that we didn’t fully investigate that left students at risk, we would know that through this independent investigation as well,” Hembree said.
“When an independent investigation like this is done, they come and they start fresh,” Fulton said. “And they look at all of the data and they look at the processes as well, yes.”
He said the results of the investigation will be confidential and shared with board members in closed session. Smith said he does not have an estimated time for when the investigation could be completed.
