LOGAN SQUARE — The embattled principal of Marine Leadership Academy in Logan Square is leaving the high school in June for a new job within Chicago Public Schools.
Principal Kristin Novy is taking a position as a citywide administrator, district officials said in a statement.
The Marine Leadership Academy’s Board of Governors will now begin their search for a new principal under the guidance and support of the CPS Office of Local School Council Relations, district spokesperson Mary Ann Fergus said.
CPS officials said the new job is a lateral move within the district, adding that Novy has “no disciplinary history” with CPS. As citywide administrator, Novy would take on similar responsibilities as a principal at schools where there are extended absences or vacancies in leadership positions, officials said.
“Chicago Public Schools values the skills, dedication and commitment of Marine Leadership Academy Principal Kristin Novy who took on the role during a difficult time at this school three years ago,” officials said in a statement.
Parents at the military high school, 1920 N. Hamlin Ave., have been calling for Novy’s firing for months after a sex abuse scandal, reports of bullying and other issues at the school in recent years.
Some members of the school’s board of directors, akin to a Local School Council board, expressed disappointment about Novy’s promotion Wednesday, according to the Tribune, which was first to report on her resignation.
“I don’t understand how CPS is promoting a person who doesn’t work with the community,” Fernando Barrios, a member of Marine’s Board of Governors, told the Tribune.
In a letter to students, staff and parents announcing her departure, Novy touted her wins over the years; including increased college enrollment numbers.
“I have served this school diligently since 2021 and am proud of what we have accomplished together in the past three years,” Novy wrote.
The latest Marine Leadership Academy controversy hit in September, when parents accused school leadership and Novy of not doing enough to protect students from an aggressive bullying attack that was partially caught on video. Parents protested outside the school and called for greater accountability and intervention.
Parents have said the Logan Square school has struggled following a years-long sexual abuse scandal that led to the firing of about a dozen school employees, including former principal Erin Galfer, in 2021.
Some school employees were accused of sexually abusing and having inappropriate contact with students, while others were charged with “grooming” students, having personal relationships with them after graduation or covering up the misconduct.
District leaders have insisted the school has undergone “systemic changes” after the sexual abuse scandal came to light. But last year, parents told Block Club that school leaders, including Novy, had struggled to rein in ongoing problems at the school, including fights, bullying, drug and alcohol use and mental health struggles.
Unchecked bullying is one of the most persistent issues at the school, parents have said.
Last year, a 13-year-old was diagnosed with depression after her peers disparaged her in graffiti and on social media.
Another student had a mental health crisis that ended with police pulling her off nearby train tracks. That incident came after at least two other students died by suicide in recent years, including seventh grader Emily Barrera.
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