St Joseph Principal Erinn Dougherty Placed on Leave After Viral Recording
St Joseph principal Erinn Dougherty was placed on administrative leave this week after an alleged recording circulated online of her reprimanding students over a fight video. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles will decide her status after reviewing what she allegedly told students.
Erinn Dougherty at St. Joseph
The recording attributed several remarks to Dougherty, including: "What I saw in that video was some of the most white trash public school behavior I have ever seen," "That behavior is not becoming of a St. Joseph Knight," and "It is not becoming of a person at a Catholic school." It also attributed to her the lines, "That is for the people who are not going to own the businesses. That is for the little workers," "They're going to rent a home," "People do not pay $15,000 a year for that," and "It was completely unacceptable. It was disgusting."
A concerned parent sent the recording and a tip to the Santa Maria Sun. The comments were made while Dougherty was reprimanding students for a social media video circulating of a fight between students.
Archdiocese of Los Angeles review
Tom Mott, the athletic director and a defendant in the 2024 lawsuit, was in charge while the archdiocese reviewed the situation. Dougherty has managed the Orcutt Catholic school over the past eight years, giving the leave immediate effect at a school that already had leadership under scrutiny.
The school was already involved in a 2024 lawsuit filed against Dougherty and the archdiocese over alleged pressure to falsify student athletes' grades and whistleblower retaliation. A judge did not accept the school's claimed religious exemption in that case.
2024 lawsuit against Dougherty
The separate lawsuit adds another layer to the current review because it names both Dougherty and the archdiocese and centers on grade-falsification claims and retaliation allegations. For families and students at St. Joseph, the practical result is that the principal is off campus while the archdiocese decides whether she returns to the role or remains out of it.
