Service High School principal resigns following investigation of ‘community concerns’

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Anchorage School District announced Friday morning that Service High School Principal Allen Wardlaw has resigned from his position.

Assistant Principal Imtiaz Azzam will remain acting principal for the rest of the school year, a position they were placed in when Wardlaw was put on administrative leave last month.

The district has stayed largely silent on why Wardlaw was placed on administrative leave on April 12, only stating that ASD was conducting an investigation into “community concerns” surrounding the Service principal.

District Communications Specialist Lisa Miller told Alaska’s News Source via email that the district would not comment any further on the matter due to it being a “personnel matter.”

In a letter sent to Service families on Friday, ASD Senior Director of Secondary Education Kersten Johnson-Struempler said the district will begin moving forward with hiring a new principal for the 2023-24 school year.

Johnson-Struempler said the district is committed to serving parents and students that attend Service.

“We will provide you with the strong, stable, and safe learning environment you expect,” the letter stated.

The letter told parents that the hiring process for a new Service principal will involve families of students that attend the school, starting with “Characteristics Identification” survey that families can fill out. The letter said that the second part will include an open house in the fall that families can attend to meet the new principal.

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