Durham school principal and 2 district administrators indicted on criminal charges
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- Superintendent Anthony Lewis announced three Durham school administrators were indicted.
- The charges stem from a 2024 incident at Eno Valley Elementary School.
- The district has suspended the administrators with pay and opened an internal probe.
A Durham Public Schools principal and two district administrators have been indicted on criminal charges, Superintendent Anthony Lewis announced Wednesday.
In an email shared with families Wednesday morning, Lewis said the indictments stem from a 2024 incident at Eno Valley Elementary School “involving student safety and subsequent court orders and law enforcement inquiries.”
The statement didn’t name the employees, but court documents show that three women were charged on Tuesday with 17 felonies related to a child-abuse investigation at Eno Valley Elementary School. The investigation centered on a photo showing a child with autism who was tied to a chair in November 2024.
- Ayesha Hunter, the school system’s senior executive director of employee relations, was charged with eight felonies: six counts of obstructing justice and two counts of perjury, according to court documents. Her charges related to statements she made in an email to law enforcement, information she withheld from law enforcement, and statements she made in court, according to the indictment.
- Tanya Janique Giovanni, the deputy superintendent for administrative, legal and compliance services, was charged with five counts of obstructing justice.
Giovanni’s indictment contends her statements to law enforcement and during a court hearing hindered the investigation. She also had “a notarized affidavit from the principal of Eno Valley regarding the allegation” that she didn’t disclose to law enforcement, the indictment states.
- Touyna Clayton Wright, the principal of Eno Valley Elementary School, was charged with four felonies: three counts of obstructing justice and one count of perjury.
Wright’s indictment says that between Nov. 25, 2024, and Oct. 27, 2025, Wright obstructed or hindered the investigation.
“This offense was done with deceit and intent to defraud, and in secrecy and malice, and was infamous,” the indictment states
Wright lied about when she learned about a photo, who told her about it, and during a court hearing, the indictment alleges.
Court documents show Giovanni was arrested Wednesday and remains in the Durham County jail on a $10,000 secured bail. As of 1 p.m., there are no documents indicating that the other two women had been arrested.
The Durham Public Schools system has undertaken a separate investigation, and the three administrators have been suspended with pay, Lewis wrote in an email reviewed by The News & Observer.
“These allegations were reported to law enforcement and the instructional assistants involved resigned shortly thereafter,” Lewis said in the email. “Because active legal and personnel matters are ongoing, there are limits on what additional details I can share at this time.”
“What I want to be clear about is this: Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our students,” he continued. “Any matter involving student safety must be handled with urgency, care, and full cooperation.”
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This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 11:26 AM.
