Three Durham Public Schools (DPS) administrators have been indicted in Durham Superior Court on various charges of obstructing justice and perjury.
A representative for the school district confirmed to the INDY that Deputy Superintendent Tanya Giovanni, Senior Executive Director of Employee Relations Ayesha Hunter, and Eno Valley Elementary School Principal Tounya Wright have been suspended with pay since December 19. In a message to families this morning, Superintendent Anthony Lewis said the district is conducting its own “thorough review.”
The charges are related to the investigation of a 2024 child abuse case in which a staff member tied an autistic student to a chair at Eno Valley Elementary School. Lewis confirmed in his email to families that “these allegations were reported to law enforcement and the instructional assistants involved resigned shortly thereafter.”
This week’s indictments accuse the three administrators of, in different manners, obstructing that Durham police investigation.
Giovanni, who has emerged as a key member of Lewis’ cabinet in ongoing meetings with the DPS teachers union, has been charged on five counts of felony obstruction of justice. One of the charges states Giovanni “did not produce evidence that was in the possession of Durham Public Schools in response to a search warrant and court orders.”
Giovanni was booked into the Durham County jail on Wednesday morning and released on a $10,000 bond an hour later. Per court records, she is scheduled for a first appearance on January 26.
Hunter is accused of six counts of felony obstruction of justice and two counts of perjury. One of those counts of perjury describes Hunter as “falsely asserting under oath that she did not have any notes of the investigation to review.”
Wright is accused of three counts of felony obstruction of justice and one count of perjury. The indictment against Wright charges that she was aware of a photo of the child tied to a chair but falsely stated under oath that she only became aware of it when it was “anonymously slipped under her door.”
Giovanni, Hunter, and Wright did not immediately respond to the INDY’s request for comment.
“We are cooperating fully with the Durham County District Attorney’s Office and remain focused on ensuring a safe environment for every student we serve,” Lewis told families via email.
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