Statement by School Without Walls HS Student Government Association on behalf of the student body-

We are shocked, we are disappointed, and we are concerned in response to Principal Richard Trogisch’s removal as principal of School Without Walls High School and School Without Walls at Francis Stevens.

Principal Trogisch consistently advocated for us as students but also as members of the DC community. Under his leadership, School Without Walls excelled and is now ranked as the top public high school in the city. As School Without Walls students, we are granted specific privileges that other DCPS high schoolers are not: for example, we have access to the George Washington University’s campus and classes, as well as an overall college preparatory lifestyle and academia and access to internship opportunities. These privileges can be attributed to Principal Trogisch, who consistently believed in our potential and that we were deserving of responsibility.

We realize Principal Trogisch had a history of conflict with the DCPS administration, whether that maybe with the institution of metal detectors, which he was against,  or the use of the PARCC for the SWW admissions process, which he also opposed. To our knowledge, Principal Trogisch was removed from his position due to his opposition to reopening School Without Walls because of concerns attributed to COVID-19, specifically student and teacher safety. 

Removing Principal Trogisch in this time has a number of devastating impacts on the School Without Walls community. His removal destabilizes the school community in this already chaotic time. During this difficult time, we are all craving some normalcy, and removing Principal Trogisch undermines the school’s stability and increases the trauma of the time period. Principal Trogisch consistently advocated for us and for our voices to be heard. We can see that advocacy slipping away in real-time: the announcement of his firing was only sent to parents, which minimizes student voices and general knowledge of the subject. His firing is also very concerning in terms of COVID-19, since the school is already overcrowded, and going back to school would only put students at risk. 

-The School Without Walls HS Student Government Association