Mississippi Coast principal accused of shoplifting is losing her job at Bay High
The Bay Waveland School District is taking applications for the principal’s job at Bay High School as a result of the “chaos” that followed the arrest of longtime principal Amy Yarborough Necaise.
The Bay Waveland School District announced the open position on its website Thursday. The salary for the job is currently $105,000.
Necaise is working remotely through Friday.
“I really believe strongly that people are innocent until they are proven guilty,” said Sandra Reed, superintendent of the Bay Waveland School District. “She has done a great job as high school principal.”
Still, Reed said, she felt it was time to take action.
“At the end of the day, my job is to make sure we provide situations for kids that enable them to have the most learning opportunities possible, and part of that is that the environment is free of chaos.,’ Reed said. “Due to all the publicity and social media interaction surrounding this event, it was becoming disruptive at the High School.”
The plan for Necaise, Reed said, is to move her into a new position as an academic strategist. In that job, Necaise would help manage academic programs and track other students related to school accreditation.
Until then, Necaise is working at home.
“Today and tomorrow, she is working remotely tying up loose ends at the high school that are necessary for the transition,” Reed said Thursday. “We hope to have the position board-approved by Tuesday so she can start at that time.”
The Bay Waveland School Board still needs to set a meeting to vote on the matter.
Principal accused of shoplifting at Walmart
The funding should be there to cover the job, Reed said, since the School District didn’t fill the assistant superintendent’s position after they left over the summer.
When Necaise’s time as principal ends Friday, Reed said, the assistant principals and assistant superintendent will temporarily handle the administrative dues.
The problems for Necaise started in mid-August.
Necaise is accused of misdemeanor shoplifting for allegedly stealing $123 in items when she used the self-checkout at Walmart on U.S. 90 in Waveland. She surrendered to police a few days after the alleged Aug. 20 theft.
Necaise has not commented on her arrest.
Necaise has served as the Bay High principal since 2013 and, prior to that, served in the same capacity at Waveland Elementary School.
She is a 1995 Bay High graduate who has served in other capacities in the Bay Waveland School District, including as a teacher, assistant principal, counselor, assistant volleyball coach, and varsity cheer coach.
She also served as a middle school counselor at Bay Waveland Middle School.
This story was originally published August 31, 2023 at 1:31 PM.
