Durham Public Schools has fired deputy superintendent Tanya Giovanni, the last of three district administrators charged with covering up a child abuse case at Eno Valley Elementary School.
Giovanni was terminated March 6 on the recommendation of Superintendent Anthony Lewis. The school board voted unanimously to dismiss her. She had been suspended with pay since her January indictment on five counts of obstructing justice.
The abuse case stems from a 2024 incident in which a student with autism was tied to a chair with rope. A photo of the incident surfaced and prompted a law enforcement investigation. The student's family has filed a lawsuit against the district.
- The obstruction charges allege Giovanni withheld evidence in response to search warrants, interrupted a colleague's responses to law enforcement, concealed a notarized affidavit from the school's principal, and falsely told a court the district had no investigative file.
- The termination letter, signed by board chair Bettina Umstead on March 17, cited a pattern of overstepping authority, poor communication, lack of accountability, and policy failures beyond the abuse case.
- The other two administrators charged in the case no longer work for the district. Eno Valley's principal resigned in January after her indictment. Senior executive director Ayesha Hunter was fired in February.
The district has launched an independent investigation into how the abuse case was handled and has mandated retraining on abuse reporting requirements. Giovanni had not responded to a request for comment as of Friday.