New principal for IPS School 87 named amid abuse scandal

Indianapolis Public Schools announced a new principal for George Washington Carver School 87 following allegations of student abuse in a classroom and parents' calls for new leadership.

Elizabeth Krutz, previously principal of LaPorte Middle School, will lead the Riverside neighborhood school following the expected approval by the school board later this month. Classes begin Aug. 1 for the 2024-25 school year.

The former School 87 principal was removed from the school earlier this spring after a lawsuit alleging a second grade teacher at the school for encouraging abuse in the classroom. In a cell phone video recorded by the former teacher, he is heard encouraging another student to keep beating up a student with disabilities, who is sobbing. The teacher, Julious Johnican, was charged with felony neglect of a dependent by the Marion County prosecutor's office.. 

Parents of students at school 87 demanded the principal be removed from her position when the incident became public. They also blamed school administrators for not notifying them of abuse claims or an investigation by the Department of Child Services until reported by the media.

Krutz has over 30 years of educational experience and was most recently principal of LaPorte Middle School. Krutz is a member of the National Association for Gifted Children and serves as a principal mentor through the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute. She is enrolled in the Montessori Fundamentals for School Leaders professional learning course through the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector, and she is a graduate from Indiana State University and Indiana University. 

"Elizabeth brings an amazing skill set that includes celebrated relationship-building expertise and a proven ability to close achievement gaps through strategic planning and data-driven practices,” IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said in a statement. “We look forward to the positive impact she will have on our students and the community."

The IPS Board of Commissioners will be voting on recommendation to hire Krutz at the July 25 board meeting. 

Contact WFYI education reporter Sydney Dauphinais at sdauphinais@wfyi.org.