Charter school removes CEO Eric Mahmoud amid claims of negligence in handling sexual misconduct allegations

Board members of a Minneapolis charter school have voted to depose the school’s CEO following a lawsuit claiming the school failed to act on sexual misconduct complaints against one of its most prominent teachers.

The Harvest Best Academy board voted to remove CEO Eric Mahmoud during a closed meeting on Thursday, days after a personal injury lawsuit filed on behalf of a former student alleging that parents and teachers told Mahmoud of sexual misconduct by teacher Abdul Wright.

Despite those warnings, according to the suit filed by St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, the school failed to report the allegations to law enforcement officials as required by state law.

In a statement, Board Chair Ezra Hyland said the decision to remove Mahmoud, the school’s founder, was difficult but important.

“We recognize Eric’s important contributions to the school from helping start the organization to building systems that have consistently helped our students achieve high test scores,” Hyland said. “The board believes it is time for new leadership to continue to support the Harvest Best Academy’s important role in our community.”

Mahmoud did not respond to requests for comment Saturday. Board members will vote Tuesday on an interim executive director.

Wright was charged in September with first-degree criminal sexual assault for allegedly raping the plaintiff, then 14. The plaintiff states that Wright began grooming her in 2016 shortly after he was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year, becoming the first charter school teacher to win that award.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff felt lucky to be in Wright’s class because of his reputation and played on the girls' basketball team he coached. She states that Wright paid special attention to her, bought snacks for her and other female students, and took them to Timberwolves games, playing songs in the car that “reminded him of her.”

Eventually, Wright obtained her phone number and communicated with her daily before allegedly sexually assaulting her in 2017.

According to the suit, the girl’s father scheduled a meeting with Wright and Mahmoud after finding evidence of texts and 3 a.m. phone calls between his daughter and Wright. Mahmoud and Wright did not explain the messages, instead touting Mahmoud’s status in the community and Wright’s status as a teacher.

The father obtained a restraining order against Wright, limiting their communication to email and restricting Wright from sending the girl messages through social media. Her mother reported the sexual misconduct to police last May, leading to Wright’s arrest and criminal charges.

“Today, there is a reckoning and real accountability. Best Academy is now a safer place for children,” according to a statement from Anderson, who is prominent for representing child sex abuse victims.

Another teacher at the school, Aaron Hjermstad, was sentenced in 2022 to more than a decade in prison for sexually assaulting at least 12 people. Anderson, who also filed a suit in that case, said the additional assaults could have been prevented if the academy had thoroughly investigated Hjermstad‘s background.

Mahmoud founded Harvest Preparatory School in 1992; it became a charter school in 1999. The school was regarded as an oasis of achievement in its early years, closing the achievement gap between white and Black students.

Best Academy was established in 2008 before merging with Harvest Prep in 2018 to become Harvest Best Academy.