Tipp School Board accepts Principal Barnes’ resignation

The Tipp City Exempted Village Schools Board of Education accepted the resignation of high school Principal Dan Barnes on Feb. 19.

Barnes submitted his resignation in January with a notation he would be "exercising my right to continuing contract as a teacher with the Tipp City Schools." Barnes further said he would look forward to receiving his teaching position for the 2024-25 school year and beyond.

Barnes declined to comment beyond the content of the brief resignation letter.

The board accepted the resignation without comment. Barnes had met in an executive session with the board and administrators in a meeting before the resignation letter was submitted.

The district will have no comment on the resignation, Superintendent Aaron Moran said last week. Barnes will receive his teaching assignment when district staffing decisions are made in the spring, he said.

Barnes became principal at Tippecanoe High School in the summer of 2021. He previously was with the Sidney City Schools for 24 years as a teacher and administrator. He taught in grades one through eight and served as a high school principal and middle school principal.

According to his personnel file obtained through the school district, Barnes received a written warning in March 2023 for allegedly inadequately punishing three male students for making sexually violent statements to at least two female students. Also for not following use of district protocol for approving the use of a high school facility (gym) prior to receiving the go ahead from the district business operations director. The warning was from Lisa Tuttle-Huff, district director of Human Resources, and then Superintendent Mark Stefanik.

A letter of discipline was issued in October regarding how a complaint about a student engaged in sexual conduct in the high school parking lot. Tuttle-Huff said that the complaint was not handled in a timely manner.