Assistant Superintendent Jeff Wallace confirmed Monday Shady Grove Principal Mary Margaret Sullivan has been suspended with pay.

Sullivan was the target of concerns aired at the Jan. 9 school board meeting. Parent Lynn McDaniel questioned how Sullivan, who started work here July 1, 2015, was considered for the position, as it was known the middle school she led in Asheville had a “divided, toxic environment, bully leadership style, retaliation, and a dictatorship mentality.”

Parents also complained about classrooms being left unattended, two teachers abruptly leaving their positions, and DPI (Department of Public Instruction) protocols not being followed, among other concerns.

Wallace did not say what prompted the decision to suspended Sullivan. Retired principal Candy Poplin is helping Assistant Principal Raymonda Shelton in Sullivan’s absence, Wallace said.