ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — The principal at Kensington Intermediate School in Rocky River has been placed on leave. The superintendent sent a letter to parents in the district that said Dr. Heath Horton has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately.
Dear Parents and Guardians:
The health, safety and well-being of our students are our top priority.
This afternoon, the Rocky River City School District (RRCSD) was contacted by the Rocky River Police Department (RRPD) regarding an investigation involving Kensington Intermediate School Principal Dr. Heath Horton and a former Rocky River High School student.
Dr. Horton has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately. District administrators will provide coverage at Kensington for the final two days of the school year.
The district is fully cooperating with the RRPD on the investigation. The RRPD will keep us informed as they move forward with the investigation and, as we are dedicated to transparency, we will share information as it becomes available.
The school said they were notified by Rocky River police that Horton is under investigation for an incident involving a former high school student.
According to the school district website, Horton began his role as principal at Kensington Intermediate during the 2021-2022 school year; prior to that, he was the assistant principal at Rocky River High School for four years.
"I didn’t know him well. I've only had a couple of brief interactions with him, but he’s always been so kind, so professional and seems like he is doing a really good job," said Carrie, who has a fifth-grader at Kensington. "It’s extra shocking when it doesn’t seem to fit the person’s character."
Other parents echoed Carrie's sentiment, adding Horton has been nothing but "pleasant."
According to a Rocky River Police Report, on Monday, at least two parents showed up to the police station reporting what they called 'inappropriate conduct' between their sons and Horton. The report said the parent went through text messages between their child and Horton that began in the fall of 2019 through the summer of 2020, when Horton was working at the high school. The text messages mentioned getting together, drinking alcohol and smoking cigars. According to the report, Horton's contact was saved as 'H-Dawg,' and he would frequently ask the student where he wanted to be picked up. The police report also mentioned at least one student admitted to being at Horton's residence at least 3 times but stopped because "things got weird."
News 5 reached out to Horton and Rocky River Police for an update on the investigation but we haven't heard back.
Parents are hopeful that truth with prevail.
"As a parent, you kind of hope there’s a full story, and there’s not anything in the wrong that can happen, but, personally, I try to reserve judgment until I know the full story and make sure I'm not deciding something ahead of time, but it’s concerning," said John, who is a parent of three young children.
