Principal accused of striking Fresno student got another job. Now he’s been suspended
Brian Vollhardt, the Fresno Unified ex-principal accused of striking a student at Wolters Elementary, was placed on leave Wednesday from his new job as the vice principal of Tranquillity High School in Golden Plains Unified.
Golden Plains officials said they were not aware June 7 incident captured on video showing Vollhardt strike a student.
“As of today, Mr. Vollhardt has been placed on Administrative Leave,” district officials said in a news release.
“Golden Plains Unified School District is deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our students. It is the sole intention of the district to comply with active district policies and procedures as well as state law,” the district said. “We will be working closely with our legal counsel, as more information is available.”
Vollhardt has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
At a Thursday morning new conference, FUSD Superintendent Bob Nelson said he doesn’t believe Golden Plains Unified ever contacted Fresno for a reference regarding Vollhardt. Nelson said the student is “physically okay” and that the district provided “the necessary social-emotional supports” following the incident.
As of Thursday afternoon, Golden Plains Unified’s superintendent Martin Macias has not responded to multiple requests for comment regarding Vollhardt’s employment at Tranquillity.
Jeannette Ocampo, the Golden Plains director of human resources, also declined to answer any questions Thursday.
Vollhardt resigned from his position with Fresno Unified’s Wolters Elementary on Aug. 4. He had been placed on leave June 8, following an incident the day before in which he shoved a student with special needs to the ground.
FUSD official reported the case to police on June 9. Fresno police said they received security camera footage of the incident June 13, but the investigation stalled due to what police Chief Paco Balderrama called “system failures.”
The chief said he didn’t see the video or hand the case over to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office until Tuesday, after a Fresno Bee Ed Lab reporter started asking questions.
Balderrama said he should have been notified about the case by his officers.
“That does not appear to have occurred and we are looking into why that did not happen,” he said.
The Bee’s Ed Lab also learned through a Public Records request that the June 7 incident was actually the second altercation between the two. According to a complaint obtained by the Ed Lab, about 11 days earlier on May 27 in Vollhardt allegedly forced the same student to the ground. Vollhardt held his knee to the student’s back while holding down the student’s shoulder for “approximately 2-4 minutes,” according to the complaint.
Vollhardt has a valid Level II Education Specialist Instruction Credential, according to the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The credential allows him to “conduct assessments, provide instruction, and special education related services to individuals with a primary disability of autism.”
As of Thursday afternoon, there was no record of any disciplinary action regarding Vollhardt’s credential.
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 4:31 PM.
