Lakewood Elementary parents found out this morning that Principal Toni Goodman “has accepted a position outside Dallas ISD and will not be returning to our campus,” said assistant principal Bert Hart in an email titled “Changes at Lakewood.” Hart has been named the interim principal until a new principal is named.
“An official communique will be forthcoming,” Hart said in the email. “I ask for your help and support as we navigate our way through this time.”
It’s rare for a school principal to change positions mid-year. Goodman took the helm of Lakewood a year and a half ago, in fall 2014, after previous principal Kaye Simmons left before the start of the school year. Simmons, who was at Lakewood two years, succeeded longtime Lakewood principal Michelle Thompson, who is now the principal at W.T. White High School in North Dallas.
Lakewood Elementary has been the focus of media attention recently after a wave of sickness reminiscent of last spring’s carbon monoxide poisoning alarmed parents. Recently released results of staff surveys last fall also revealed frustrations and low morale.
