Maplewood HS Principal Charged With Assault: Prosecutor

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A high school principal with the South Orange-Maplewood School District was arrested Monday and faces multiple charges in connection with an assault that happened last year, according to Essex County's top prosecutor.

Frank Sanchez, principal of Columbia High School, was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Patch.

While prosecutors did not release details about the assault, district advocacy group Black Parents Workshop said in a social media post that the charges stem from an incident involving Sanchez and a female student at Columbia High School. The group is providing legal counseling for the teenager.

"The history of abuse of Black children in this school district is inconceivable," Black Parents Workshop founder Walter Fields said in a statement shared on social media. "We have had a Black child put in a closet as punishment, one held by the ankles, students sexually assaulted by a teacher and students victimized by police brutality."

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Fields continued, "There is something wrong in a community when repeated incidents of child abuse become the norm."

In an email sent to students, staff, and families, Acting South Orange-Maplewood Superintendent Kevin F. Gilbert said he was aware of the allegations against Sanchez. Gilbert also did not provide details about the incident.

"I am deeply saddened by these reports," Gilbert said in the email. "But no matter what our feelings may be at this time, my focus — and the focus of my colleagues on the administration — must be on meeting the needs of Columbia High School students, their families and staff."

Gilbert said the district was providing counselors to students who needed them.

Sanchez has been on administrative leave since early January, according to an NJ.com report.