Longtime Raleigh elementary school principal dies just before start of school year

Families and staff at a Raleigh elementary school are in mourning after the unexpected death of their longtime principal days before the start of the new school year.

Felecia Locklear, 60, the principal of Brooks Elementary School since 2001, died unexpectedly in her sleep Tuesday night, according to a letter the Wake County school system sent to parents at the school on Wednesday.

“Mrs. Locklear has been the beloved principal of Brooks Museum Magnet Elementary for 18 years, and this community was very dear to her heart,” Northern Area Superintendent Pamela Kinsey-Barker wrote to families. “Her family has expressed the pure joy that she felt by being the principal of Brooks, and by interacting with the students and families.”

Locklear’s death comes just before the new school year begins on Monday. Kinsey-Barker told families that the school won’t be sharing the news of Locklear’s death with students, but counselors and other support staff will be available to speak with students when they return to school.

Locklear, who started her career as a music teacher, was an assistant principal at Weatherstone Elementary School in 2001 when she was chosen to lead Brooks. At the time, Brooks was suffering from declining test scores that made it unattractive to families who live near it by the North Hills shopping center in Raleigh.

Locklear led Brooks through its transition to become a magnet school that has won several national awards and is now in high demand from families. Last year, Locklear was both a finalist for Wake County Principal of the Year and Magnet School of America’s national Principal of the Year.

Tributes have been coming in on Locklear’s obituary page. Despite being “devastated at the sudden loss of our amazing leader,” the Brooks Elementary School Foundation urged the community to come together and commit to making the upcoming school year “the best one yet” in honor of Locklear.

“Regardless of what was happening outside the walls of Brooks, Principal Locklear was vocal and passionate about keeping Brooks a safe, consistent and normal place for our kids to learn and grow,” the foundation wrote in a Thursday Facebook post.

A funeral service will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Apex Baptist Church on 110 S. Salem Street in Apex.

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 3:06 PM.