Ted Zehr selected as interim principal of Gresham High School amid safety concerns
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Gresham High School has a new interim principal after some community members called for a change in leadership amid safety concerns.
On Friday, the Gresham-Barlow School District announced they've selected Ted Zehr as Gresham High School’s new interim principal.
The school’s current principal, Erika Beddoe Whitlock, submitted her resignation, the district announced on Wednesday.
Zehr has 10 years of experience as the former principal of Century High School in Hillsboro and was a math teacher before that, the district said. He will visit GHS on Monday, Oct. 28, as the first step in the transition. Whitlock will lead the school until Nov. 8.
Earlier this month, the student-run Gresham Student Union demonstrated a walkout in protest of a previous threat involving an armed student at the high school on Friday, Sept. 20.
Though no one was hurt in the incident and authorities apprehended the 17-year-old suspect, community members have since voiced concerns about the school’s handling of the situation.
In the weeks since the incident, there have also been several unsubstantiated rumors on social media of school threats, according to Gresham police.