Suspended Benton Harbor High School Principal Rodger Tripplett is firing back against accusations included in a 17-page document from Superintendent Dr. Shelly Walker that he allowed dozens of students to graduate without meeting state requirements and that he possessed and shared child pornography involving a 12 or 13-year-old student. That document has been obtained by the “St. Joseph Herald Palladium.” Tripplett spoke to reporters outside the district’s administration building Friday morning after a meeting on his suspension was canceled without a reason given.
“People in this community, and surrounding communities, know me and my committment to providing the very best for our children, students, and their families who unfortunately have become casualties of this war on urban education,” he said while flanked by supporters outside the administration building.
Tripplett believes the suspension is because he fought back against the efforts of consultants he refered to as “poverty pimps,” who “follow every district that get labeled at-risk for failing to promote their proposals at enormous speeds and hope for miraculous growth in student achievement when data doesn’t support it.
“I kind of knew that I had possibly angered people by some of the questions that I was asking in professional development and meetings,” said Tripplett.
His sister, Sharon James, resigned this week from her position on the school board. She had served as president. Tripplett was principal of the high school for one year before being put on leave in June. The school district says the special meeting will be rescheduled for some time next week.
