CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Three Albemarle County Public Schols principals will be “out of the building for an extended period of time,” according to emails sent to families at Monticello High School, Baker-Butler Elementary and Woodbrook Elementary Schools on Monday by Acting Superintendent Dr. Chandra Hayes.

School division spokesperson Jason Grant declined to say whether the three were placed on leaves or share any more information about their absences. Grant did say their situations were not related to investigations into former Hollymead and Woodbrook staffer Michael Swiney’s arrest, or the arrest of former Woodbrook teacher Nicholas Clark.

At Monticello, Principal Dr. Beth Costa “will be out of the building for an extended period of time,” according to Hayes’ email, and retired principal Rick Vrhovac will serve as the school’s substitute principal.

At Baker-Butler, first-year Principal John Wheeler, who had been an assistant principal at Woodbrook Elementary, “will be out of the building for an extended period of time,” Hayes’ email to those families said Assistant Principal Tonya Carter “will serve as the primary point of contact,” at the school.

At Woodbrook, Principal Christie Isaiah “will be out of the building for an extended period of time,” according to Hayes’ email to those families. Assistant Principal Ashley Redmond “will serve as the primary point of contact,” at Woodbrook.

Clark was arrested in March on child pornography charges and Swiney was arrested in June on 11 felony charges of sex crimes against children.

Isaiah became the principal at Woodbrook in 2025 and, before that, had been the assistant principal there since 2022. Wheeler was an assistant principal at Woodbrook before taking over at Baker-Butler this year.