Joshua Dahl
WEST FARGO (KFGO) – A West Fargo assistant principal who was placed on administrative leave in April will return to the school this fall under a plan of improvement.
Osgood Elementary School began an internal investigation after parents of two students accused Joshua Dahl of physically moving their children during a program in early April.
A report obtained by KFGO News shows that after parents were emailed and news media picked up the story, the parents of three more students came forward with allegations against Dahl. The parents of one of the students accused Dahl of bruising their child.
The school district interviewed students, teachers, and parents as part of the investigation. They also watched a video of the program and found that Dahl placed his hands on one student to move her out of the walkway, and reached for another student’s arm to help her move during the program. The reports says Dahl appeared to be in a hurry, but wasn’t aggressive enough to cause bruising.
In a separate incident, Dahl grabbed two other students by the arm and pushed them against a wall to maintain order in the hallway. One of the students said she didn’t understand what Dahl wanted her to do. The parents of the other student spoke highly of Dahl and didn’t want their child interviewed.
The investigation found that the students weren’t where they were supposed to be, so Dahl physically helped them move. The report says Dahl was not angry and did not hurt the students, but acknowledges that the students may have benefited from a conversation with Dahl.
In those incidents, the district found that Dahl did not follow policy.
In a separate incident, Dahl left a bruise on a child.
The report says the student has emotional disturbance and has a history of damaging property, and injuring other students and staff. On the day of the bruising, the student was being disruptive and, when asked to take a break, the student began using the “n” word, swearing, screaming, spitting, and hitting staff.
While Dahl tried to de-escalate the situation, the student bit him and punched him in the crotch. Dahl says he used one hand to hold the child back to protect himself.
In that case, the district says its Physical Intervention and Crisis Prevention Policy was followed.
Among other things, the report says there is confusion regarding Dahl’s approach to keeping order in the school. It says Dahl moves quickly and, in some cases, places his hands on students to speed things up, something that is not necessary and must stop immediately.
The West Fargo School District self-reported the incident to the North Dakota State Child Protection Team which reviewed the investigation and determined that the students were not abused or neglected.
Due to the findings, and because there is a corrective action in place, Dahl will return to the school this fall. Dahl and Principal Kristi Toy will both be put on improvement plans, Dahl will receive a letter of deficiency for the policy violations, and all Osgood staff will receive legally required training.
The full report can be read here:
West Fargo asst. principal report
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