Embattled Marie Curie Middle School Principal Removed From Post

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — The embattled principal of Marie Curie Middle School in Bayside has been removed from his post, after a string of ugly incidents at the school and a contentious town hall with Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza threw a spotlight onto the school's handling of student misconduct.

Principal Henry Schandel's four-year tenure leading Marie Curie, or M.S. 158, came to an end Tuesday, the Department of Education said. A spokesperson did not respond to questions on the basis for Schandel's removal.

Peter McHugh will serve as the school's interim principal while administrators search for a permanent replacement, a process that will start Sept. 16.

As the guidance manager and climate and culture manager at the Department of Education's Queens North Borough Office, McHugh worked with Marie Curie and other Queens schools on matters related to crisis management and school safety.

He previously worked as a social studies teacher at Richmond Hill High School and an assistant principal at Robert Moses Middle School in Suffolk County and the Choir Academy of Harlem.

McHugh will meet virtually with the school community at 5 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday, according to a notice on the school's website.

“The young people of Queens and all of New York City went through so much these past few months and I will support Marie Curie in being a place of safety, structure, and rigorous learning," McHugh said in a statement. "As a former District 26 parent myself, nothing is more important to me than providing a learning environment that uplifts our students and prepares them for their next steps in life."

In a news release about the transition, the Department of Education detailed McHugh's professional background but included no details on Schandel's removal other than confirming he had been replaced.

Schandel will work as an assistant principal at another school, the New York Post reported.

District 26 Superintendent Danielle Giunta announced the change in a letter Tuesday to families.

"I am writing to advise you that effective immediately, Mr. Henry Schandel is no longer serving as principal of 26Q158," Giunta wrote. "My team will work hard to ensure a seamless transition of school leadership as well as continuity of instruction and effective delivery of services as we prepare to reopen schools in this unprecedented year."

M.S. 158 families long complained that administrators failed to hold students accountable for serious misconduct inside the school doors, including a fight between students in the cafeteria that was caught on video and led to the arrest of a 14-year-old girl.

The mother of the 13-year-old student injured in the fight claims school officials did nothing to stop the persistent bullying that preceded it, or a pattern of sexual harassment by another student, who was later accused of harassment by a second student.

Families vented their frustration at a January town hall in their school district with Carranza, the schools chancellor, who walked off the stage as parents heckled him about the school's situation.