Emerald High School Principal Resigns Immediately: District

DUBLIN, CA — Emerald High School Principal Francis Rojas resigned abruptly Thursday, DUSD Superintendent Chris Funk told families in a Thursday email.

Rojas' resignation is effective immediately, and Assistant Principal Lenni Velez will assume the role of permanent principal pending board ratification on Tuesday, Oct. 22, Funk said. "The District Office will ensure EHS receives proper administrative support for the rest of the school year," he added.

DUSD spokesperson Chip Dehnert told Patch he could not elaborate the reasons for Rojas' sudden departure from the school just two months into its first full year.

Rojas, the former principal at Milpitas High School, was hired as Emerald High School's first principal in July 2022. He helped oversee the planning and instructional design of the new high school, and welcomed its first students.

"Mr. Rojas was hired as the inaugural principal of Emerald High School," Funk said in his email. "Mr. Rojas did a great job getting Emerald off the ground. He was tremendous at engaging the community the year before the school opened. He helped the school navigate the challenges of sharing a campus with Dublin High School and working collaboratively with all stakeholders to transition the ninth and tenth grades to Emerald this year. He will be missed by the Emerald community."

In August, right after the start of the school year, Amador Valley High School Principal Jonathan Fey took an indefinite leave of absence for undisclosed reasons. PUSD Technology Services Coordinator Seewing Yee Jr. was recently named the school's temporary acting principal.