The Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Department of Catholic Schools placed St. Joseph High School Principal Erinn Dougherty on administrative leave on Friday, May 15, 2026, following controversial verbal comments she made during a student meeting in Orcutt, California.
Superintendent for the Santa Barbara region Michael Ronan informed parents of the suspension through an official letter pending a review of the incident.
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Athletic director Tom Mott has assumed interim administrative duties as end-of-year processes and commencement proceedings approach.
The suspension followed the online circulation of an unverified audio recording where a voice identified as Dougherty sharply reprimanded students.
The speaker criticized teenagers for recording an altercation between two students rather than attempting to de-escalate the conflict.
Archdiocese Responds
"The Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Department of Catholic Schools is working closely with the school to address this matter upholding the core Christian principles of our Catholic schools.
St. Joseph High School remains committed to providing an environment grounded in faith, compassion, respect, and accountability for every student and for all in the school community.
The school has taken steps to ensure that all end-of-year processes, graduation requirements and festivities will remain on schedule, and that every student successfully meets their final milestones.
We are grateful for the efforts of the school community and offer our prayers for a good rest of the school year," stated the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in an official release to KEYT and KSBY News.
The administrative actions occurred amidst a divided response from the school community regarding the principal's disciplinary methods.
Parent Monte Nash shared the notification letter with KSBY News and noted that an un-intervening teacher was present during the initial student conflict.
"There was a confrontation of two students in a class and after that, you know, the next day she came up and pretty much told everybody we don't do that in the class and we need to do better, but just unfortunately, the way that they got recorded and what they said and the way they threw it out of context, you know, I kind of think it was a little bit off," said Jose Corona, a parent of a St. Joseph High School student.
The circulated audio recording captured the speaker using harsh language to describe the behavior of the private school students.
The Santa Maria Sun reported that a concerned parent provided the audio tip reflecting the ongoing disciplinary controversy.
"some of the most white trash public school behavior I have ever seen" said the voice identified as Dougherty in the recording.
The speaker in the audio track contrasted the student behavior with the expensive tuition rate paid by families at the Catholic institution.
The recording also included remarks linking the behavior to future socioeconomic status.
"people do not pay $15,000 a year for that." stated the voice in the audio file.
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The individual in the recording continued to reprimand the student body by characterizing future employment and housing prospects based on the incident.
Local parents expressed mixed reactions over whether the disciplinary tone warranted an immediate suspension.
"That is for the people who are not going to own businesses. That's for the little workers.
That's for the people who are never going to own a home, they're going to rent a home."
stated the voice in the clip.
The direct remarks drew criticism from community members who questioned the alignment of the statements with private religious education values.
The school's administration has not released further public updates regarding the status of the investigation.
"That behavior is not becoming of a St. Joseph Knight," continued the speaker in the recording.
The recording concluded with the speaker reiterating that the behavior observed in the video was entirely inappropriate for the private school setting.
Both Corona and Nash expressed to KSBY News that placing the principal on leave one week before graduation was excessive.
"It is not becoming of a person at a Catholic school. That is for the people who are not going to own the businesses.
That is for the little workers. That’s for the people who will never own a home.
They’re going to rent a home. … It was public school behavior.
People do not pay $15,000 a year for that. It was completely unacceptable.
It was disgusting." said the speaker in the audio track.
The suspension also follows a prior 2024 lawsuit filed against Dougherty and the archdiocese involving allegations of grade falsification for student athletes and whistleblower retaliation.
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Interim administrator Tom Mott is also named as a defendant in that ongoing legal matter.
