Woodlawn Middle School in Mebane announces new principal; former principal still suspended with pay after charge

MEBANE, N.C. (WGHP) — An Alamance County school has a new principal , even as its former principal remains on the district’s payroll under suspension.

On Monday, the Alamance-Burlington School System Board of Education appointed Clarence Garrett Jr. as the principal of Woodlawn Middle School.

The school district confirmed that previous Woodlawn Middle School Principal Thomas William Kazimir, 53, of Mebane, is still suspended with pay after he was charged with failure to report crimes against a juvenile .

Kazimir and William Michael Jackson, 55, of Haw River, a former teacher’s assistant at Woodlawn, were both charged in connection to the abuse of a student.

Kazimir had worked in the district since 2000, first as a teacher before being hired as an assistant principal in 2013 and principal in 2023. He was suspended effective June 13.

Jackson was charged with misdemeanor child abuse and misdemeanor assault on a child under 12. He had worked with the school system since 2020, and his last day was June 13.

Introducing Principal Clarence Garett Jr.

Garrett, the school’s new principal, is a native of Alamance County with 19 years of educational experience. ABSS previously hired him to work as a technology teacher at Graham Middle School in 2005.

Garrett has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and a Master of Arts in executive leadership studies from Gardner-Webb University.

He most recently spent two years as principal of N.L. Dillard Middle School and was named Caswell County Schools’ 2023-2024 Principal of the Year.

He previously spent four years as an assistant principal in Caswell County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

Before taking on his administrative roles, he worked as an exceptional children teacher, a 7th-grade math teacher and athletic director at Broadview Middle School, and he taught STEM at Swann Middle School in Guilford County.

“I’m looking forward to bringing my leadership experience and dedication to educational excellence to Woodlawn Middle School,” Garrett said. “As a product of ABSS, I am committed to fostering a positive and productive school environment.”

Woodlawn child abuse investigation

Kazimir’s and Jackson’s charges stem from an investigation that began on April 26 into the alleged abuse of a student, according to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office.

Court documents say Jackson grabbed and applied pressure to the back of a student’s neck and left bruising.

Following the suspensions, the Alamance-Burlington School System released the following statement:

Alamance-Burlington Schools regrets to report that the Alamance County Sheriff’s Department has informed us that 2 Woodlawn Middle School staff members have been served with misdemeanor charges related to a school incident.

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Teacher assistant William Jackson was charged with 1 count of misdemeanor child abuse and 1 count of misdemeanor assault on a child under 12 years of age. Principal Tom Kazimir was charged with 1 count of misdemeanor failure to report a crime against juveniles.

As a 10-month employee, Mr. Jackson’s last day of employment for the 2023-2024 school year was June 13. Principal Kazimir is currently suspended with pay while the district and law enforcement investigations continue.

We are notifying our Woodlawn Middle School staff and families about this very concerning information today.

Our Woodlawn Middle administrators and staff will continue to fully support students and families while ABSS continues to cooperate fully with the Sheriff’s Department in order to ensure that our highest priority of student safety is observed by all of our employees.

FOX8 asked ABSS how they plan to hold employees and administrators accountable to keep kids safe. A spokesperson for the district said in a statement in part:

“Particular attention has been given this year during regular professional development sessions with principals and staff as to the district’s expectations and legal guidelines for reporting any student-involved incident to administrators and SROs as well as the consequences for failing to adhere to established policies and procedures. we will continue to stress this important information with ABSS staff members and hold everyone accountable for their role in ensuring student safety.”

These allegations marked six ABSS employees charged in connection with crimes against kids in 13 months.

In May 2023, a Southern Alamance Middle School teacher was charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a student and two counts of indecent liberties with children . Then, a few months later, the assistant principal at the same school was charged with one count of a sex act with a student . Neither are employed at the district.

At the end of 2023, the principal at Eastlawn Elementary was charged with a felony statutory sex offense. A few months later the deputy superintendent was charged for failing to report that incident. The Eastlawn principal is suspended and the deputy superintendent resigned effective June 30.

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