Portland Public Schools Fires Principal Marti Diaz

Police arrested Diaz last year on allegations of domestic violence but prosecutors never charged Diaz.

By Beth Slovic

The Portland School Board fired former Kelly Elementary School principal Marti Diaz in a 7-0 vote Tuesday.

The vote comes almost exactly one year after Portland police arrested Diaz at PPS headquarters and PPS put Diaz on paid administrative leave because fellow PPS principals claimed Diaz had assaulted her partner on a boozy Oct. 11 camping trip.

Prosecutors never brought charges against Diaz, whose partner denies being hit, but PPS sought to fire Diaz anyway.

Documents WW published earlier this month show PPS found other reasons to cut ties with Diaz, including the assertion Diaz failed to follow up on a report of sex abuse against a child by a Kelly teacher. Diaz disputes that claim.

There was no discussion of Diaz's firing on Tuesday before the vote.

Diaz's attorney, Craig Crispin, has said Diaz plans to sue PPS in federal court alleging discrimination. Diaz claims she was held to a different standard than her white co-workers.

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