Controversial elementary principal replaced

A controversial elementary school principal has been replaced at Beaver Ridge Elementary School in Norcross.

Gwinnett Schools officials said Wednesday Esther Adames-Jimenez, who was recently investigated for asking a misbehaving student to give himself a mild shock with a gag pen, is no longer in the front office.

The Gwinnett school board has named José DeJesus, a former assistant principal at Berkmar High and Berkeley Lake Elementary, as Beaver Ridge’s new principal. DeJesus is a veteran educator who began his teaching career in Broward County, Florida.

“He has experience at all three levels and is very excited about this opportunity,” said Sloan Roach, spokesperson for Gwinnett Schools. “We think he is going to be great for Beaver Ridge.”

DeJesus, who is fluent in Spanish, took control of the school this week as interim principal as standardized testing began at Beaver Ridge. The school board appointed him principal on Tuesday.

A group of parents upset about Adames-Jimenez’s resignation held picket signs outside Beaver Ridge recently to support her. Some also kept their kids home in protest so they would miss the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test.

“It was a small number,” Roach said. “Unfortunately the people that it hurt most were the children who missed instruction time.”

Adames-Jimenez, who is credited for improving CRCT scores and parental involvement at Beaver Ridge, resigned last month during a human resources probe of the shocking incident. The principal had also faced human resources investigations over the mishandling of national and state standardized tests last school year.

Gwinnett Schools officials told the principal last month that the district would not renew her contract, but allowed her to stay on Beaver Ridge through the end of the school year. This week, however, Adames-Jimenez was reassigned to the Division of Human Resources through the end of June. She was principal of Beaver Ridge since 2004.