By NICK VLAHOS
For The Weekly Post
PRINCEVILLE – The Princeville School District appears to be in a bit of turmoil.
Petition drives are underway to remove Superintendent Tony Shinall and return Peoria County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Crystal Strauss as school resource officer. The primary issue appears to be a late-October incident in which Shinall was accused of lifting a 4-year-old preschooler for disciplinary reasons.
It isn’t clear if that incident was connected to the reassignment of Strauss after six years as Princeville SRO. The sheriff’s office notified the school district Jan. 2 regarding Strauss’ departure. WEEK-TV in Peoria first reported the incident between Shinall and the preschool student.
Investigations by the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services cleared Shinall of wrongdoing, according to a statement from Princeville School Board President Amy Davis. But when the board met Jan. 13, at least two of the 30 or so attendees criticized Shinall.
“I personally don’t know whether any of the allegations are true, but in leadership, perception matters,” district resident Jim Hand told the board.
According to Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins, Strauss was reassigned following an internal investigation regarding alleged policy violations. The school district had no input regarding that decision, per Davis’ statement.
“The board can spin the story however you want, but this community will never believe she violated policy and procedure that caused her to be removed from the school,” said district resident Jennifer Carruthers, who created both online petitions.
The petition against Shinall states a significant portion of the Princeville community has lost confidence in his leadership. It accuses him of bullying and intimidation, as well as disregard for community input.
Strauss has built trust, ensured safety, mentored students and created a positive, supportive school environment, according to the petition that seeks her reinstatement.
As of late last week, the Strauss petition had 236 verified signatures, the Shinall petition 192.
Strauss’ replacement as Princeville SRO, Deputy Shawn Yarger, began work Monday. For parts of 2024 and 2025, Yarger patrolled Princeville as the village’s dedicated deputy, under a municipal contract with the sheriff’s office.
“I want to restore trust back into the community and bring a familiar face back to the people. That’s really it,” Yarger said about his decision to pursue the SRO opening. “I hope (those) who knew me from my previous duties in Princeville know I’m very transparent and hope to continue building relationships.”
Yarger also opened a pizzeria recently in Lacon.
The Weekly Post filed an Illinois Freedom of Information Act request with the State Police for more information regarding its investigation of Shinall. The sheriff’s office denied a FOIA request. It cited an ongoing internal investigation and disciplinary proceedings.
A FOIA request with the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office is pending.
Regarding action items, the board approved five student trips. Among them were a chess-team trip this weekend to a tournament in West Chicago; an FFA trip June 9-11 to Springfield; a high school baseball trip March 20-21 to Jacksonville; and an anatomy-and-physiology class trip March 27 to St. Louis.
On that visit to Saint Louis University, students are to receive a cadaver laboratory demonstration and have a chance to perform dissections, according to Jake Lowery, the junior-senior high school assistant principal.
Following executive session, board members approved hiring Jessica Bliss as 7th-grade volleyball head coach, Alex Ramirez as a second-shift custodian and Cam Semelroth as a high school baseball assistant coach.
