The Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education has accepted a request from Superintendent Hilario "Larry" Chavez to resign from his post on Friday, five days after former Santa Fe High School assistant principal (and current city councilor) Amanda Chavez, publicly accused him of sexual harassment and retaliation.
Amanda Chavez left her job as assistant principal Santa Fe High School a week ago, then on Feb. 17 released allegations through her lawyers, John Day and Joleen Youngers. In response, the SFPS Board of Education met in executive session Friday morning to discuss "pending or threatened litigation and limited personnel affairs."
After nearly two and a half hours in a private executive session, Board President Roman “Tiger” Abeyta revealed the board received Larry Chavez's resignation Thursday afternoon via email, effective June 30. Chavez requested the use of his accrued paid leave until June 30 as part of the resignation, which the board unanimously accepted.
“We took these allegations very seriously from the start and we seek to ensure fairness to all parties,” Abeyta said in a press release from the district.
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Board member Kate Noble moved to grant Larry Chavez's request to take and use his accrued annual leave through the effective date of his resignation, noting he is entitled to the paid leave under his contract—and meaning he will no longer actively serve as the SFPS superintendent. The board unanimously approved the motion.
Then, board member Sarah Boses moved to appoint Veronica García as interim acting superintendent effective Feb. 21, until a) the board enters into a contract with the superintendent, b) the board makes other coverage arrangements, c) June 30, 2025, or d), as otherwise agreed to by the parties—whichever occurs sooner. Boses also moved for García to have a prorated annual salary of $210,000. The board also unanimously approved this motion.
Anson Stevens-Bollen
Interim Superintendent Veronica Garcia returns to the district.
García previously served as superintendent before Larry Chavez was first appointed in 2021, and has since been working with the district as its Chief Strategic Officer in the school district’s years-long Reimagining Process as well as directing its steering committee.
“Dr. García comes to the district with the knowledge, expertise and experience to guide the district through this transition,” Boses said. “We will move forward right away with the search for a permanent superintendent…which will include community engagement to determine characteristics of the future superintendent needed to meet the unique needs of our City of Santa Fe community as we continue to move the district forward on its positive trajectory.”
The board also announced in a press release that it will “continue its due diligence” into the complaints from Amanda Chavez, and “attempted to address this issue thoroughly and responsibly, and without disruption to its operations or to the focus on delivering the best possible education to the students in our community.”
According to a public statement from her lawyers, Amanda Chavez resigned from her position on Feb. 14, after she claims the school district’s internal investigation "sustained a complaint she made against Larry Chavez for repeated sexual harassment of her and retaliation when she declined his sexual advances.”
Day said in a phone interview on Monday that they have filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Bureau, which must be completed before the case can be litigated in court. Day also confirmed Amanda Chavez will continue to pursue this path after hearing about the superintendent's resignation.
"She was devastated she had to leave her job...she loved her students," Day tells SFR. "The concern is, why did it take the board so long? Why didn't they fire him for cause? What's with all this delay and claims of being transparent when the issue is sexual harassment that, according to the district, was substantiated back in December?"
The district has not publicly confirmed whether the claims were substantiated, and Boses said in the board's statement at the meeting that they could not comment on whether the allegations were substantiated.
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Amanda Chavez
The lawyers’ statement says Amanda Chavez reported to SFPS that Larry Chavez had communicated sexual advances to her via text messages sent from his district-issued cell phone.
Amanda Chavez made a formal complaint with the district against the superintendent on Dec. 6 last year, and according to the her statement, school district officials told her the complaints against Larry Chavez were “substantiated” and that the district would use an outside investigator to further investigate the complaint.
During the investigation, Amanda Chavez was placed on paid administrative leave, which her lawyers’ statement says has “fueled rumors and social media alleging she was the subject of discipline and investigation, going so far as to state that she has been fired for alleged misconduct.” The lawyers’ statement says the district officials informed Amanda Chavez that “some type of discipline has been imposed because of her report,” but "has not provided any specifics."
“We remain committed to fostering a safe and nurturing environment for all students. The integrity of our educational system is our primary concern, and every decision is made with the intent to preserve the trust and confidence of the community,” Boses said at the meeting as an official statement on behalf of the board. “Because of recent events, it is crucial for everyone to understand that the Board is dedicated to maintaining transparency as much as possible and ensuring that all actions taken are within the framework of due process.”
Boses continued, “This remains an ongoing personnel matter. The Board cannot respond to the allegations reported in the media, including whether any allegations have been substantiated. The Board has attempted to address this issue thoroughly and responsibly and without disruption to its operations or to the focus on delivering the best possible education to the students of our community. It is time for us to move forward for the benefit of our community, parents, students and staff alike.”
The board's Friday press release includes a timeline of the investigation of the complaint, stating that on Dec. 10, “it is the Board’s understanding that Amanda Chavez was granted leave beginning on this date at her request,” and that the board authorized opening an investigation on Dec. 14 in executive session.
The investigation timeline released also says the initial investigation report was shown to board members on Jan. 29, and the board’s initial review and discussion of it occurred Jan. 30, before the board “sought additional information for the investigation report.”
On Feb. 4, the timeline says the board received additions to the initial investigation report and authorized counsel to have discussion with parties in the complaint, and Abeyta and Board Vice President Kate Noble engaged additional legal counsel on Feb. 7. As of Feb. 13, the board was briefed on “status of discussions with parties,” and discussions were “ongoing.” According to the released timeline, that was the last action taken before Amanda Chavez went public with the allegations.
At the executive session, Board member Lynn Gardner Heffron also moved for the board to approve a limited waiver of the attorney work product protection of the investigation report, “for the purpose of responding to complaint and fulfilling district duties" with respect to the complaint.
The attorney work production protection protects documents prepared in anticipation of litigation or for trial, and the limited waiver allows opposing parties in the anticipated litigation to access some documents and information prepared by an attorney.
Heffron also moved to authorize the district’s legal counsel to “proceed, as discussed in executive session, regarding release of investigation report to the extent permitted by law.” The board approved both of these motions unanimously as well.
Board member Carmen Gonzales also moved to authorize the district's legal counsel to file, on behalf of the board, any reports to the Public Education Department, as required by state rule, and to "proceed as discussed in executive session" regarding ongoing investigation. The board also unanimously approved these motions.
