LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Lakota East principal who was under investigation by school district officials resigned Friday, said Lakota Schools officials.
Rob Burnside, who had been on ordered leave since earlier this month, was accused by school district officials of alleged insubordination and failure to follow orders from his supervisor regarding a former student of the school, according to Lakota school records.
Burnside has not commented publicly but Lakota officials confirmed his departure Friday after an emergency meeting of the Lakota Board of Education was arranged to accept his submitted resignation.
Principal of Lakota East since 2021, Burnside was placed on paid administrative leave on Nov. 4 as Lakota district officials investigated a “concern,” according to a message sent to school parents of the high school.
And according to Burnside’s personnel file information obtained this week, he was notified in a Nov. 16 letter of a “second pre-disciplinary hearing to discuss allegations of misconduct against you.”
A first pre-disciplinary hearing was held on Nov. 7, according to district documents.
“You are being charged with insubordination/failure to follow the directives of your supervisor, willfully violating our board policy for student attendance and putting yourself, team and district in a potentially liable position,” wrote Lakota officials.
In the Nov. 16 letter, district officials also wrote: “The evidence supporting these charges includes witness statements, email correspondence and a review of facts.”
Among the questions asked by district officials at the pre-disciplinary hearing — which largely focused on an unnamed student who was allegedly enrolled at Lakota East in the 2023-2024 school year — Burnside was asked about allegations the male student was allowed to attend classes this fall while no longer eligible under residency rules to be enrolled at the Liberty Twp. high school.
There are also references in Lakota officials’ questions about the student possibly being homeless and questions pertaining to whether the teen “is an active student in the system” at the start of the current school year.
Other questions noted in the documents as asked of Burnside during his most recent pre-disciplinary hearing included: “At the end of the school year (2023-2024), was the thought that this student would be returning? Still homeless? Parents secure residency in Lakota?”
“Would you, or have you, ever allowed a student not enrolled in Lakota schools to attend and be in a building for multiple days?"
And “did you dismiss your team members when they asked about this student?”
Burnside has not commented publicly on the district officials’ allegations against him and did not respond to electronic messages from the Journal-News seeking his comments regarding those or his resignation Friday.
Lakota officials Friday afternoon released a statement in the wake of Burnside’s resignation.
“The Lakota Board of Education accepted the resignation of Lakota East Principal Rob Burnside during an emergency meeting this afternoon. The emergency meeting was called to provide a resolution to this situation and help the building move forward.”
Officials also stated that “misinformation and rumors are not where we should form the basis of our facts. We cannot comment on personnel matters and Lakota will maintain student confidentiality, even when a student is no longer enrolled within our district, as it respects the privacy of a minor.”
Earlier this month, Lakota Superintendent Ashley Whitely sent a message to school parents noting: “We have been investigating a concern that was brought to our attention and had anticipated having a resolution sooner.”
“However, we feel it is important to share as much information as we can at this time,” said Whitely. “Thank you for your patience and understanding. We will provide an update as soon as possible.”
In Burnside’s absence, said Whitely, the high school’s remaining administrative team, which oversees both Lakota East and the nearby Lakota East Freshman School also in Liberty Twp., will assume leadership responsibilities, she said.
“I have the utmost confidence that the East administrative team can handle this unexpected change.”
Lakota officials also said, “This was in response to a concern that was brought to the attention of our leadership team.”
“This is Lakota’s practice whenever a concern is raised and merits some additional information gathering.”
“We had anticipated a speedy resolution to this situation. However, as it is still ongoing, we felt it was important to share as much information as we could with our staff and families. We cannot comment further as this is a personnel matter,” said officials.
Lakota East is one of the largest high schools in Butler County and among the biggest in Ohio with a student enrollment of about 2,600 students.
Burnside was a Lakota East teacher when the school was first opened in 1997.
He later went on to work as an assistant principal at Warren County’s Kings Schools and then as a high school principal of Clermont County’s New Richmond Schools just prior to his being hired in 2021 to take over the top job at Lakota East.
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