Poway Unified Puts Superintendent on Administrative Leave Amid Investigation

In an email sent to district staff, Poway Unified officials announced Thursday that embattled Superintendent Marian Kim Phelps has been placed on paid administrative leave. 

Phelps has been under scrutiny for months following allegations that she harassed members of Del Norte High School’s softball team, of which her daughter is also a member. The harassment was purportedly due to members of the team not clapping for Phelps’ daughter during a softball banquet in May 2023. 

One member of the team claimed Phelps had called them late at night and tried to pressure them into admitting they’d bullied her daughter. Students have also claimed the superintendent has threatened their graduation privileges. Phelps has denied the accusations.

The allegations surfaced at a Poway board meeting in November, when a softball coach and parents of students called out the superintendent. In mid-November, the district announced it had hired an outside law firm to investigate the softball program, but did not clarify whether the superintendent herself would be investigated. Parents have argued that the investigation should be centered on Phelps. 

Two weeks later, a lawsuit was filed against Phelps and the district on behalf of one of the softball players. In the lawsuit, the player claimed she had been the victim of an “illegitimate and biased” investigation that ultimately kept her from playing on the softball team her senior year.

“In an effort to avoid distraction and to ensure continued focus on the district’s business and commitment to serving our students and community, the Board (of Education) is placing the superintendent on paid administrative leave, effective immediately,” wrote Christine Paik, Poway Unified’s chief communications director.

The move comes hours after the school board held a closed session meeting to discuss ongoing litigation and “public employee/discipline/dismissal/release.” The investigation had reached a “sensitive point,” and is still pending, Paik wrote. The board had no further comment, she added.