SPS places former Rainier View principal at Adams Elementary
Parents at Adams Elementary School in Ballard are asking the district for answers after learning that the school's new principal has a controversial history, including allegations she created a "toxic" learning environment, and a state agency's determination that she unlawfully discriminated against staff.
Earlier this month Seattle Public Schools appointed Anitra Jones to be Adams Elementary's principal, sparking outrage among parents who were shocked the principal still had a job after an onslaught of complaints arose in 2024 and she was found to have violated state law.
For years, even before 2024, staff and parents voiced complaints that Jones created a "toxic" learning environment and "unsafe conditions" for students and staff at Rainier View Elementary School. The school in Southeast Seattle's Rainier View neighborhood has about 160 students; next year it will begin offering advanced learning programs.
"I'm so terrified of what may happen to our children," said Susan Pambianco, president of Adams Elementary's PTA. "I can't believe they would let this person continue to be around children after hearing the things that were said in that testimony."
Pambianco was referring to a March 2024 school board meeting where parents and staff described at length the culture they said Jones created: one where students were highly anxious and scared to go to school, and with teachers leaving the school at such a high rate it disrupted learning.
"It really is chilling and very disturbing," Pambianco added.
Pambianco said the PTA's key concern was with the process used to appoint Jones to the school, rather than the standard formal, competitive application procedure. PTA members also felt the decision was rushed and done without their input. The PTA wrote a letter this week to Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Ben Shuldiner demanding an explanation for the decision and its process.
Shuldiner will host a public meeting with families at Adams Elementary at 6 p.m. on Monday. Jones will be present at the meeting.
In November 2024, a state labor relations adjudicator found that Jones unlawfully discriminated against three Rainier View staff members for protected union activity by including negative and disparaging comments in their evaluations and recommending more intense evaluations for two of them.
In April 2024, she was removed from her job at Rainier View Elementary and placed in a role at the district's central office, and in February 2025, she was placed in a temporary role as a principal on special assignment at Rainier Beach High School.
But Jones is also an award-winning principal with 25 years of district experience, including as an elementary school teacher, mentorship coach and administrator at both the elementary and secondary levels. She is a national Milken Educator Award recipient for having achieved some of the highest student growth in the state and the recipient of the Alliance for Education's Foster Award for Excellence, among other recognitions.
"Throughout her career, Principal Jones fostered collaborative school cultures where academic excellence is accessible to all students," Shuldiner wrote in his April 6 announcement of her placement at Adams. "She has partnered with school communities to lead Continuous School Improvement Plans (CSIP) resulting in academic achievement distinctions in literacy and mathematics at the state and national levels."
Adams Elementary's outgoing principal, Doug Sohn, is going on medical leave, but hopes to be at the school for the remainder of the year, wrote Timothy Moynihan, a regional executive director at SPS who oversees and supports principals in the region.
Moynihan noted that if Sohn can remain at the school for the rest of the year, he can help smooth the transition for Jones.
He also noted that there are "legal and contractual responsibilities" the district was obligated to follow by appointing Jones to the new position.
Seattle Public Schools chief of staff and public affairs confirmed those obligations in a Friday email to The Seattle Times.
"The district is assigning Principal Jones to a principalship in accordance with state law applicable to continuing-contract personnel, specifically RCW 28A.405.210," wrote Bev Redmond. "Adams Elementary, a school community known for its kindness, strong staff relationships, student‑centered focus, and healthy, nurturing culture, is an ideal fit."
Redmond said the district prefers a collaborative and competitive hiring process, instead of using appointment authority, but in this case, "we are fulfilling a legal commitment while also making a considered decision about how best to support both the school community and the leader involved."
Redmond also confirmed that Jones had completed the training required as a result of the state agency's findings about her discrimination against staff. She was referred to that training by former SPS Superintendent Brent Jones, who is not related to Anitra Jones.
In May 2024, SPS hired the Puget Sound Educational Service District to review whether it followed its policies when responding to complaints related to Jones' behavior at Rainier View; the agency did not investigate Jones' alleged conduct.
The Seattle Education Association filed unfair labor practices complaints against Jones with the state's Public Employment Relations Commission in 2023, on behalf of several Rainier View staffers. Girard Montejo-Thompson, the president of Seattle Education Association, is concerned about Jones' new placement given her history.
"We are watching this closely and we are going to be in discussion with our members at Adams," Montejo-Thompson said. "Violating state law and repeatedly retaliating against staff, that doesn't seem like the kind of behavior we want reflective of Seattle Public Schools."
Jones did not respond to a request for comment from The Seattle Times. The Principals Association of Seattle Public Schools, where Jones is a member, declined to comment.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 11:42 PM.