Durham principal at center of abuse investigation resigns after indictment
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- Dr. Tounya Wright is resigning as principal of Eno Valley Elementary School.
- Her resignation comes after being indicted on felony charges in a child abuse case.
- Wright is the first of the three indicted administrators to resign from her position.
The principal of the Durham school at the center of a child abuse investigation will resign following her indictment this month, according to the school district.
Tounya Wright, principal of Eno Valley Elementary School, will resign effective Jan. 31, Durham Public Schools confirmed Tuesday morning.
The announcement comes a week after Wright and two other Durham Public Schools administrators were indicted on felony charges that allege they obstructed the investigation into a 2024 incident in which a student with autism was tied to a classroom chair with rope. The investigation began in November of that year.
Superintendent Anthony Lewis confirmed that Wright, Tanya Giovanni, a deputy superintendent, and Ayesha Hunter, a senior executive director of employee relations, were suspended with pay after the indictments. Wright is the first to resign from her position.
Wright, who earns $132,000 per year as principal, was indicted on three potential charges of felony obstruction of justice and one potential charge of perjury.
Her indictment says that between Nov. 25, 2024, and Oct. 27, 2025, she lied about when she learned about a photo of the student, who told her about it, and during a court hearing.
Lewis told reporters last week that all DPS staff will now be retrained on how to respond to suspected child abuse. The school system has also hired a Raleigh law firm to independently investigate the matter.
“When we’re talking about the safety, the well-being of our scholars, there is only one path forward,” Lewis said at a news briefing last week. “We must act with urgency, and we must cooperate fully, and if we fail to do that we must indeed hold people accountable.”
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This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 10:19 AM.