Veteran CMS principal appointed to Myers Park High during investigation
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Title IX complaints in CMS
From lawsuits at Myers Park High to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reassigning administrators amid controversy, this is the latest on sexual assault cases and Title IX issues in the district.
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Dr. Maureen Furr, the former, long-time principal of South Mecklenburg High School who retired in 2019, has been named the interim principal at Myers Park High School. Myers Park Principal Mark Bosco is on a paid suspension while the district investigates complaints about how the school has handled past reports of harassment and sexual violence among students.
Parents received the news of Furr’s appointment in a robocall from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Sunday afternoon. Bosco’s suspension was made public Friday.
Furr, who was at South Mecklenburg High for more than a decade, spent 45 years as a full-time educator.
She arrives back at CMS as district leaders have been under fire from parents and students, both current and former, over how Myers Park administrators have responded to reports of rape in the woods next to campus and elsewhere, and other types of sexual misconduct.
Controversy earlier this summer first centered around two lawsuits stemming from cases in 2014 and 2015. Since then, other students have come forward and experts in Title IX compliance have said new investigations are warranted at the high school to determine if problems still exist. A Charlotte Observer investigation has found the school continued to have complaints even after leaders were warned and agreed to add Title IX experts to staff in 2016.
On Friday, Bosco’s attorney said he has followed all district policy throughout his time as Myers Park principal and has been an educator for a total of 28 years. She said her client will cooperate with the district’s internal investigation, which the Observer confirmed with two CMS officials Friday was underway.
Bosco, on Sunday, said he had no clue when the investigation was launched.
Title IX, part of federal education law, requires federally funded schools and colleges to follow strict protocol when responding to reports of sexual assault. Two lawsuits against Myers Park and CMS, as well as other complaints, have accused school officials of not following Title IX requirements.
Interim Myers Park High principal
It’s unclear how long Furr will serve.
Furr was a highly-celebrated principal at CMS during her tenure.
According to information on CMS’ website when she retired, Furr’s career in education took her to five states, two countries and a range of schools. Furr joined CMS in 1992 and South Meck in 2006. During her tenure, the school’s enrollment nearly doubled to more than 3,000 students.
Among her honors are the 2016 CMS Wells Fargo Principal of the Year and the Southwest Regional Principal of the Year, where she was praised for her “innovative thinking, encouraging experimentation and risk-taking, and doing whatever it takes for her students to be successful.”
This story was originally published August 8, 2021 at 5:38 PM.
