On Dec. 8 at a CPS Board of Education meeting, a recommendation to give a four-year principal’s contract to Lindblom Math and Science Academy (LMSA) Principal Abdul Muhammad was withdrawn from the meeting agenda, according to a letter sent to school families and staff.
Muhammad will remain in his role and continue to lead the academy as interim principal through the rest of this school year, the letter added.
Network 16 Chief of Schools Devon LaRosa said that “in order to make a final determination, all concerns will need to be addressed or resolved. We will continue to solicit feedback from the students, families and staff to make a final decision that is in the best interest of the school community.”
In August, The TRiiBE reported that the Chicago Board of Education postponed Muhammad’s contract days after LMSA students walked out of their classrooms in protest of the abrupt firing of Karen Fitzpatrick Carpenter from her assistant principal position.
In an Aug. 24 letter to LMSA parents, students and staff from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Chief Schools Officer Felicia Sanders, she explained that CPS’ chief executive officer asked the board to postpone taking action over concerns about Muhammad’s transition into his interim principal role.
In response to numerous questions from parents, alums and students about why he fired Carpenter, Muhammad said the following during a virtual Appointed Local School Council meeting on Aug. 15:
“When a principal is brought on to a school, that principal has the opportunity to bring his or her own administrative team to move the school forward. When I came to Lindblom, I made the decision to bring in my own administrative team, Mrs. Debra Kearney and Mrs. Adrienne Morales,” Muhammad said.
Fitzpatrick Carpenter told The TRiiBE that she was surprised and heartbroken by the termination. “I felt I did as best I could to keep the nest in the tree. No one fell out. No one got lost. No wings were clipped. We made it through from beginning to end on a successful note,” Carpenter said. “I did my best, and I’m proud of that.”
