Hollymead Elementary Principal Joseph McCauley, who was placed on administrative leave after the school’s social emotional learning coach was one of two ACPS staffers arrested on charges of sexual crimes involving children, will not return to school in the fall, interim Albemarle County Public Schools Superintendent Chandra Hayes told parents on July 2.
Hayes stepped into the interim superintendent role after the Albemarle County School Board asked former superintendent Matthew Haas to resign during the June 11 school board meeting Soon after Haas’ resignation, McCauley was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
“I’m sorry that we dropped the ball as a division,” Hayes said to the handful of parents who attended a meeting at Hollymead Elementary on Thursday. “I’m sorry that your last experience in this space may not have felt yours or been inviting and positive, but what I’m here to do is hopefully help us move forward. I don’t take lightly the responsibility that the school board has placed upon me.”
Hayes repeatedly apologized to those few parents and teachers who were able to make it to the meeting. She also informed them that ACPS administration is working to make changes, asking them to fill out a survey that was sent to parents and teachers.
“I fully acknowledge that the last few weeks have been extremely difficult for this community and for the Albemarle community in general,” said Hayes. “I want to make sure what I do is right, and what we do as a district is right for you as well. We don’t have unlimited staff or unlimited resources, but there are things that we can do, and that’s listen and take from what you share with us and put into play.”
Hayes added that the social emotional learning coach (SEL), an unlicensed position, will be eliminated at Hollymead effective immediately, and will be phased out in the rest of ACPS schools.
“We felt it best that this school did not receive another SEL coach or mental health support specialist,” said Hayes, adding that they will hire a full-time counselor.
All mental health specialists will require a certification, said Hayes.
“If you don’t have a license, there’s plenty of things that you could do,” she said. “Counseling, mental health support is not that, and so they’re going to work to clearly identify what those roles can do, what they should be doing, so that when they’re in buildings, principal staff know exactly what to expect.”
ACPS is hoping to have an interim principal for Hollymead by June 13, Hayes said.
While we can’t cover every story that’s important to you, we do our best to be responsive to your needs. We use tips from readers to choose which stories to cover, to incorporate information into broader reports or to help us decide how to grow Charlottesville Tomorrow. Here’s where you can tell us what you think we should be covering.
More on central Virginia schools
After the arrests of two ACPS staffers for sexual crimes involving children, here are some resources to help families
As community members in Albemarle County continue to process the recent arrests, here are local and national mental health and child safety resources.
A Louisa County High School teacher is transforming practice rooms into recording studios
Band Director and Teacher Micah Lee is using his music theory class to teach students about creating, recording and producing original music.
After another vote, Charlottesville City School Board moving ahead with school resource officers
During an April 16 work session, Board member Zyahna Bryant made a motion to rescind the Board’s March 2025 decision to bring police officers back to school campuses, but the motion failed.
More local News
Hollymead Principal McCauley not returning, school to eliminate social emotional learning coach role, interim superintendent says
In the wake of the arrest of a former Hollymead SEL coach on charges of sexual crimes involving children, McCauley was placed on administrative leave.
For Fifeville residents, the fight over a seven-story luxury student housing complex isn’t over yet
After finding out that there is no legal mechanism for City Council to re-vote on The Mark, Fifeville residents are exploring their options to continue to advocate for the future of their neighborhood.
Where to go to stay cool in central Virginia during this week’s extreme heat
As high temperatures and humidity create a dangerous mix, cooling centers are opening up in central Virginia to keep community members safe.
Virginia has high vaccination rates. Why do we have a large measles outbreak?
Some community members don’t have easy access to vaccines, while others might look to their neighbors for advice, explains Jennifer Reich, a sociologist who has studied vaccine hesitancy.
Farewell, fines — Jefferson-Madison Regional Library to drop overdue fees for most items starting July 1
“If overdue fines are keeping them from walking through the door, we want to remove that barrier,” said JMRL director David Plunkett. “That’s the whole point.”
