Charter school cites lies in firing principal

Officials at Options Public Charter School on Capitol Hill fired Principal Clarence Edward Dixon yesterday, saying he lied to his employers about his criminal background and misrepresented himself.

“He falsified his resume and lied on his [background-check] application,” said Vickie Frazier-Williams, vice president of communications for Chancellor Beacon Academies Inc., the school’s management company. “He lied to us, and that is the bottom line.”

School officials appointed the school’s vice principal, Monique Murdock, interim principal Thursday.

The action was taken after The Washington Times reported Thursday that Mr. Dixon is a felon with a long arrest record and was on probation for credit card fraud when he took charge of Options in June.

Chancellor Beacon officials said their reviews of applicants’ backgrounds include checking references and asking applicants to apply for documents from state and city governments showing that they do not have criminal records. Because it is a private company and not a public agency, Chancellor Beacon cannot apply for police background checks, officials said.

Chancellor officials were not aware of Mr. Dixon’s past because they had received documents from the District and Maryland showing that he did not have a criminal record.

Background checks conducted in the District last year and in Maryland in 2001 showed no arrests or convictions on Mr. Dixon’s record. However, he had been convicted of theft in the District in 1992 and of federal fraud charges in Tennessee in 1995.

The D.C. police criminal-history request, dated June 21, 2002, bears Mr. Dixon’s Social Security number and date of birth. It is stamped “no record.”

D.C. police officials said yesterday that background checks examine records for the previous 10 years, explaining how Mr. Dixon’s 1992 conviction was missed.

The 2001 Maryland documents, from the state’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, include a request to the FBI for a records search of Mr. Dixon’s criminal background. It turned up clear.

State officials said schools usually request a partial records check for a “Maryland Childcare Facilities” clearance. A partial records search checks for arrests or convictions for 41 crimes, but not theft or fraud.

That could explain how Mr. Dixon came to be hired as a special-education teacher at Prince George’s County Schools in 2001. County school officials have not responded to requests for comment.

D.C. school officials said they do not use police criminal-history checks for background investigations, but rely on a complete FBI records check. The school system discovered Mr. Dixon’s criminal record when he applied for — and was denied — a job in 2000, officials said.

Meanwhile, D.C. Board of Education officials have threatened to revoke Options’ charter if the school does not devise by next week a plan to address several issues, including Mr. Dixon’s employment.

Story Continues →