As shakeout unfolds at Carmel Unified, school board places superintendent on leave.

Friday morning, March 31, started off as an agreeable, even celebratory day for the board of the Carmel Unified School District. The board convened to interview 14 applicants to fill a vacancy.

They voted 4-0 to appoint Jason Remynse of Carmel Valley. Remynse, an electrical contractor, is a 1997 graduate of Carmel High School and has children enrolled at Tularcitos Elementary School, Carmel Middle School and Carmel High School.

“For the first time in a long time, I am so inspired and so encouraged to be on this board of education,” board President Sara Hinds said. “I would like to thank all of you for bringing that back into my heart – there are days when it seems untenable.”

There are lots of reasons it might seem untenable these days. Just look to Tess Arthur, who resigned abruptly in February, creating the vacancy. She left amid heightened scrutiny of the board and Superintendent Ted Knight, who faces criticism for tough actions he has taken in relation to ongoing investigations into sexual harassment.

A Change.org petition claiming no confidence in Knight has 398 signatures and counting. A central cause energizing the signatories is Knight’s and the board’s decision to remove Carmel High School Principal Jon Lyons due to his alleged mishandling of a harassment complaint.

Lyons and his attorney, Barry Bennett, have maintained since Lyons was first placed on leave in December that they don’t know why. A redacted copy of an initial investigation into Lyons, dated Feb. 23, sheds some light on a conflict between Student A and Student B, and a conversation Lyons had with Student B, who he encountered in December 2022 “in the hallway, visibly upset,” according to the report. The report goes on to describe Lyons’ conversation with Student B, and his determination the interactions with Student A did not constitute sexual harassment. In a subsequent meeting, administrators told the investigator that Lyons described the behavior as “boys acting like [redacted] boys.”

The investigator concluded Lyons’ handling of the issue was not the result of a lack of training. “It appears, instead, to be either a lack of understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment itself or an inability… [to] arrive at a conclusion that is based on the information gathered during the investigation.”

CUSD spokesperson Jessica Hull, meanwhile, says multiple new investigations into harassment and failure to respond to complaints have been opened, as both students and staff have come forward.

On March 31, after the appointment process, the board met in closed session. They decided to hire a third-party consultant, Bob Henry of School & College Legal Services, to review Knight’s actions in relation to recent personnel matters – a reference to his removal of Lyons despite opposition from many parents who urged the board to keep Lyons in his post.

Knight was placed on administrative leave effective April 1, pending the outcome of that review.