At 3:00 p.m. on November 1, students rushed out of the building just like they had for every other week of the school year. But when they returned back on Monday, principal Rob Burnside was nowhere to be found.
On Nov. 1, 2024, East principal Rob Burnside was placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of an investigation into a concern the district was made aware of.
In an email to parents and guardians on Nov. 8, Lakota Superintendent Dr. Ashley Whitely confirmed that assistant principals, Matt MacFarlane and Katrina Murray, as well as the athletic director, Jill Meiring, were overseeing all administrative duties in Burnside’s absence.
“I understand that there may be questions about this change. We have been investigating a concern that was brought to our attention and had anticipated having a resolution sooner. However, we feel it is important to share as much information as we can at this time,” wrote Whitely in a statement to the community.
Later it was found through public records that Burnside was being charged with, “insubordination/failure to follow the directives of your supervisor, willfully violating our board policy for student attendance, and putting yourself, team and district in a potentially liable position,” as stated in a letter sent to Burnside regarding a pre-disciplinary hearing.
At the pre-disciplinary meeting on Nov. 8 with Dr. Whitely and executive director of human resources Rob Kramer, Burnside was asked a series of questions regarding his involvement with an unenrolled student attending Lakota East High School. Questions spanned issues regarding recording attendance and discipline, how the student was getting lunch, and where the student was sleeping each night.
Public records show that Burnside received an email from EMIS and student data compliance/accountability director Pam Zeigler on Oct. 16 indicating that the student be withdrawn from the school. Burnside responded, including assistant superintendent Robb Vogelmann and community outreach liaison Jennifer Tye on the chain, asking what options there were for the student.
This all came as a surprise to students and staff who knew Burnside for his supportive character.
According to East graduate Samyra Feng, Burnside positively impacted her senior year through his support of the East Black Student Union club.
“Whenever the Black Student Union was planning an event he would always tell us to ‘Let me know if we need anything, let me know if you need any help.’ He would always make sure that we would have the accommodations that we need,” Feng told Spark. “A person doesn’t do these things just because they want to be liked, they do this because they care and that’s what Mr. Burnside did. He cared. I’m seeing that same exact reflection with this unfortunate situation. Mr. Burnside caring.”
Following the pre-disciplinary hearing, Burnside sent his letter of resignation to Whitely on Nov. 21. The school board held an emergency meeting on Nov. 22 to unanimously accept his resignation. Burnside held the title of principal until Jan. 30 as a result of accumulated administrative leave, sick leave, and unpaid leave.
Whitely asked MacFarlane to be the interim principal for the remainder of the year, which he accepted. MacFarlane said it has been a natural progression for him into the role.
“I feel like I’ve been prepared, luckily, with all the administrators before me,” MacFarlane told Spark. “They’ve kept me in the loop with what they do on a daily basis in order to be ready to jump into this role.”
The new position has put new tasks on his to-do list but some of the constants remain.
“I just got done with a meeting at Cintas for graduation, dealing with budgeting, things about ordering for this year, and then starting to budget again for next year, and then still continuing to do some of the things that I was in charge of before, like the ACT,” said MacFarlane.
Prior to entering the district MacFarlane taught in suburban Chicago. He joined the district in 2014 and has served as the assistant principal since 2019.
In this time of transition Whitely feels confident in the staff of East to ensure student education remains at the forefront of decision making.
“The fact that Mr. MacFarlane has been the assistant principal at East for several years has helped ensure a smooth transition for both the students and staff following Mr. Burnside’s resignation,” Whitely told Spark.
The district does plan to make a job posting and interview candidates for the principal position for next school year, according to Whitely. After spending time experiencing the day-to-day responsibilities of school leadership, MacFarlane intends to apply for the position.
“[I have been] kind of seeing what life is like as a principal, living that life every day. But yeah, I’ll definitely be putting my name in the ring,” MacFarlane told Spark.
