Myers Park principal reassigned after Title IX complaints, 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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Embattled Myers Park High Principal Mark Bosco has a new job in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, following a nearly-three month investigation and suspension prompted by complaints from students that he and other leaders mishandled past reports of sexual assault and harassment on campus.
Bosco, who was at the helm of Myers Park for about eight years before being suspended in August, accepted a position as the senior administrator for expanded learning and partnerships in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, effective immediately, according to a note to families at the school. His pay as principal was $149,462 and that will be his new job salary, too, CMS officials confirmed.
While Bosco and his attorney have maintained he followed district policies and federal laws pertaining to school-based response to reports of sexual assault and harassment, years-old campus sexual assault lawsuits came to light earlier this year, stemming from cases originating in 2014 and 2015. And a protest at Myers Park catalyzed scrutiny and criticism of the district and some administrators over the summer.
District leaders subsequently agreed to set up a Title IX Task Force that includes student voices and conduct more training for staff and students. School board members also called for a fresh investigation, and Bosco was placed on a paid suspension a few weeks before school started.
Many past and current Myers Park students called for Bosco to be fired or to resign. He was principal at the time of two reported sexual assaults in a wooded area close to the school. Bosco was named in one lawsuit, and another was filed against other CMS officials at Myers Park, which included claims the administration failed to tell female students who reported sexual violence of their rights under Title IX. The lawsuits say the former students were discouraged from taking formal action to open Title IX or criminal investigations.
Title IX, part of federal education law, requires federally funded schools and colleges to follow strict protocol when responding to reports of sexual assault.
In the legal filings, the former students pointed to a 2015 student assembly held at Myers Park as emblematic of the atmosphere. There, according to court records, Bosco told students “some people go into the woods and don’t come back happy.” He also warned that school leaders “could not protect” students if they went into the woods, and told male students that “in these cases, you’re guilty until proven innocent because that’s just the price we pay for being men.”
As The Charlotte Observer reported in the summer, though, issues with how the school and district responded to sexual assault reports went beyond the former principal. In early July, an Observer investigation uncovered that federal education officials found problems in 2016-17 with how CMS documented Title IX issues in schools and how CMS communicated with affected students.
Even before the lawsuits from students — named Jill Roe and Jane Doe in legal filings — the school district had been warned of issues in Title IX processes, and had earlier agreed to make changes following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. The changes included designating a Title IX coordinator in January 2016 and revising its Title IX policies and grievance procedures three months later.
Still, a later case of a student who reported sexual assault on campus in 2016 raised new questions about how effective CMS’ attempts at Title IX reform were.
School district officials have largely not commented publicly on specific cases or the lengthy investigation involving Bosco’s role as principal.
Learning Community Superintendent Tara Lynn Sullivan updated Myers Park High families Wednesday.
“Both Mark Bosco and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools believe that after 8-plus years as principal of Myers Park, change in leadership is needed at the school,” Sullivan told families.
Sally Higgins, the attorney representing Bosco, told the Observer on Wednesday that after a “lengthy and thorough investigation of the facts, CMS finds no basis to conclude that Mark Bosco mishandled or failed to respond to any allegation of sexual misconduct.”
Higgins, from the law firm of Higgins & Owens in Charlotte, said while the issue of school staff’s duties in responding to Title IX situations is an important matter for the community to address, “much of the media coverage in recent months has not been fair to Mark.”
“He of course cannot comment on any specific allegation or reported incident because of his obligations of confidentiality, but he can say that to his knowledge, any situation at Myers Park involving an accusation or evidence of criminal conduct was immediately reported to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police, and CMS protocols regarding violations of its Code of Conduct were followed,” Higgins wrote in an email to the Observer.
Through Higgins, Bosco on Wednesday said: “I look forward to getting back to work with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and welcome this new opportunity.”
Sullivan said the district already has begun the process of identifying Myers Park’s next principal.
“As part of the selection process, a principal profile will be created to identify the qualities, characteristics, and skills necessary to be the principal of your school,” Sullivan said. “Families, community members, and school and district staff will be asked for input into the principal profile to identify and appoint the school’s next leader.”
Maureen Furr has been serving as the school’s interim principal.
Bosco’s new position
Bosco’s new position includes being responsible for aligning and deploying resources to mitigate unfinished learning related to the COVID-19 pandemic and driving strategies that impact student achievement and the transformation of underperforming schools during and post-pandemic, according to the job description CMS provided the Observer.
“Mark’s experience in creating and implementing programs and partnerships to address students’ dynamic needs will be invaluable in his new role with CMS administration,” Higgins said.
According to the job description, Bosco will mainly work with vendors and community partners. It doesn’t appear that he will be working directly with students. CMS officials confirmed to the Observer that the position of senior administrator for expanded learning and partnerships is a new position.
It’s not the first time the district has reassigned an administrator after a suspension and investigation.
In 2020, former Ardrey Kell High principal David Switzer stepped down from his position and moved to a new job in CMS’ central office amid complaints about his response to racial incidents at the school. At the time, a CMS spokesman said that the district and the principal agreed that after Switzer’s 10 years at the helm of Ardrey Kell, the school may benefit from a change in leadership.
This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 12:55 PM.
