The Little Rock School Board at its 5:30 p.m. meeting Thursday will act on the appointment of interim principals to head the new Ignite Digital Academy for elementary grades and Terry Elementary School in the wake of Stephanie Franklin’s Tuesday resignation as principal of both schools.
The personnel matters will be dealt with at a previously scheduled meeting to vote on recommendations for operating the schools when classes start Monday — including a recommendation that students and employees be required to wear face coverings while inside district buildings to attempt to combat covid-19.
Franklin’s resignation from the capital city district comes as the district is on the brink of opening the new digital academy for kindergarten through sixth grade. The online academy has attracted hundreds of families, many of whom are anxious to keep their children out of traditional classrooms because of surging numbers of covid-19 cases.
Franklin was selected earlier this year to simultaneously serve as principal of the digital academy — headquartered at the Henderson School campus — and principal at Terry Elementary, where she has worked for the past few years. She previously was a teacher and instructional technology specialist in the district.
Superintendent Mike Poore said Wednesday evening in a text message that he was home sick and that he and his staff would be able to provide an update Thursday.
Millicent Sanders-Anderson is being recommended by Poore to the School Board to be the interim principal at the Ignite Digital Academy, and Holly Brown is being recommended to be the interim principal at Terry Elementary.
Brown has been a district educator since 1997, most recently as an assistant principal at Fulbright Elementary. She is a former districtwide teacher of the year.
Sanders has been a district employee since 2001 and has been working as an instructional technology facilitator since July for Ignite Digital Academy.