A Santa Barbara elementary school principal admitted selecting runner-up candidates so her own daughter became sixth-grade president, and the district put her right back in charge.
Daily Mail reported that Arielle Curry, principal of Washington Elementary School in Santa Barbara, admitted she overrode the outcome of a sixth-grade student council president election so the runner-up candidates were chosen instead of the students who received the most votes.
The result was plain. Her own child was appointed president.
A witness reported the matter to the district. Curry was placed on administrative leave in late September, stayed out nearly two weeks, and then returned to the job. The school already announced her return. No further consequences were stated.
In a letter to families, Curry described what she did in direct terms.
She wrote that “the runner-up candidates were selected instead of the candidates who received the most votes. This resulted in my own child being appointed president.”
"the runner-up candidates were selected instead of the candidates who received the most votes. This resulted in my own child being appointed president."
She apologized for “the disruption it caused within our school community.” She also said students and families directly affected by the election “will receive appropriate communication and support as that work is completed.”
Curry had previously served as principal of Santa Barbara Junior High before taking the Washington Elementary post. The election in question was for president of the sixth grade. Exact vote totals, the election date, and the name of her child were not provided.
A parent who spoke about the episode said a witness brought the matter to the district and rejected Curry’s framing of the episode as a process problem.
The parent told reporters, “She blames this on a flawed process, but she is the flawed process,” and called the move a “very stupid choice.”
"She blames this on a flawed process, but she is the flawed process,"
The same parent said the situation “makes the school as a whole look ridiculous and is harming the culture and environment of the school.”
In another comment, the parent said: “This is really s****y. In the letter, she doesn't fully own what she did. She decided to enact this. She made a choice to do this.”
"This is really s****y. In the letter, she doesn't fully own what she did. She decided to enact this. She made a choice to do this."
Even so, the parent still described Curry as generally a good principal and praised her “great relationships with a lot of the kids.”
After the witness report, the district placed Curry on administrative leave in late September. She was out nearly two weeks, then returned. The school announced the return.
The district sent its own letter to the community. It recognized that “the past weeks have brought uncertainty and concern to the Washington school community.”
"We recognize that the past weeks have brought uncertainty and concern to the Washington school community."
It also said the principal “can lead this work with the school community and continue to provide an exceptional experience for students, families, and staff at Washington Elementary.”
Curry issued an additional statement saying she wanted to take responsibility for her actions. She added: “Our children benefit most when the adults around them model professionalism, respect, good judgment, accountability, and the ability to work through difficult situations constructively.”
"Our children benefit most when the adults around them model professionalism, respect, good judgment, accountability, and the ability to work through difficult situations constructively."
That is the standard she named. The record shows runner-up candidates were installed over the top vote-getters, her own child became president, a witness had to report it, and the district’s response was a short leave followed by a public endorsement of her continued leadership.
Student elections are supposed to teach children that votes count and rules bind everyone. When the principal overrides the tally for her own family, the lesson runs the other way, and a two-week leave does not fix it.
