Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools move principal to new job after completing investigation
An embattled Carrboro High School principal has been transferred to another position in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools after an inquiry did not find any wrongdoing, the district announced Thursday.
Principal Helena Thomas will begin her new job July 21 in the Instructional Services Division, based at the district’s Lincoln Center administrative building, according to an email that Superintendent Rodney Trice sent to families Thursday.
Her new position will be principal on special assignment, providing leadership and expertise related to middle and high school curriculum and instruction, district spokesman Andy Jenks said.
Trice said the decision “is intended to support Carrboro High School in restoring stability and strengthening operations following a period of protracted disruptions.”
District officials reviewed the concerns raised about Thomas and did not find any “evidence of misconduct or intentional wrongdoing,” he said, but “a fresh start with a change in leadership is necessary to ensure we are meeting the needs of staff, students and families with confidence and clarity.”
Thomas was put on paid leave June 2 while the district investigated complaints by students, parents and Carrboro High School staff that her leadership had created a toxic environment lacking in trust, transparency and support. She was not allowed to attend the high school’s graduation ceremony.
The move came just days after roughly 100 Carrboro High students and parents staged a walkout and rally at the Lincoln Center to protest what they called inaction by the district in response to the concerns about Thomas.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP also held a rally at the district offices after Thomas was put on paid leave to protest the district’s decision and to call for “an equitable and fair process to determine the facts and whether any action is, in fact, warranted.”
Trice thanked Thomas, who was hired in August 2023, for her service to Carrboro High School and to the school district. An interim principal has not been announced, he said, but Carrboro High Associate Principal Diego Mureño and Assistant Principal Tracey Lockhart are working to get the school ready for the new year, he said.
The district will share more information when it is available, he added.
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 6:00 PM.
