A woman hired last month as a high school principal in Pittsburg, Kan., has resigned in the wake of revelations unearthed by student journalists with the school's newspaper.
The Kansas City Star reports that the students at Pittsburg High School published a story last week that questioned the legitimacy of the master's and doctorate degrees of the new principal, Amy Robertson.
At a board meeting Tuesday night, the PIttsburg board announced that Robertson had resigned.
"In light of the issues that arose, Dr. Robertson felt it was in the best interest of the district to resign her position," the district said on its web site. "The Board has agreed to accept her resignation."
Robertson said she received those degrees from Corllins University, a private college. Students uncovered articles that referred to Corllins as a diploma mill, where people can buy a degree or diploma.
Robertson is CEO of Atticus I S Consultants, an education consulting firm and has lived off and on for many years in the United Arab Emirates.
After being hired on March 6, a news release from the Pittsburg district said Robertson "was a great fit" for Pittsburg High.
"As CEO, she advised global companies on education projects, including writing and implementing curriculum and school policies, developing and executing professional development, and advising on school construction and renovation projects," the release said.
Students working on the high school's newspaper, The Booster Redux, began looking into Robertson’s background after an electronic search of her name turned up several articles from 2012 about an English language school connected to Robertson in Dubai. The articles said Dubai’s education authority had suspended the license for Dubai American Scientific School and accused Robertson of not being authorized to serve as principal of that school.
