Backstory: A Reporter Recalls a Dreaded Door Knock 

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• File: Jon Olender
• Jill and Pat Dunn

This "backstory" is a part of a collection of articles that describes some of the obstacles that Seven Days reporters faced while pursuing Vermont news, events and people in 2023.

It's not uncommon for school administrators to resign under mysterious circumstances. As an education reporter, I've come to accept the fact that no matter how juicy the rumors flying around about the reasons for a resignation, it's often hard to substantiate them. Even when an Agency of Education investigation uncovers wrongdoing, the findings are often shrouded in secrecy and the educator is allowed to slink off quietly.

So, it was remarkable when Jill Dunn reached out to me with an elaborate story that explained why Justin Campbell, Middlebury Union High School's former principal, had abruptly left his job several months before. Dunn, a former tennis coach and parent in the district, had been dismissed from her coaching job in fall 2022, an action she chalked up to retaliation for speaking out against what she perceived as sexist treatment in the athletic department. In her quest to exonerate herself, Dunn had hired a private investigator, who uncovered information showing that Campbell had likely fabricated student interviews submitted to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Related The Tangled Tale Behind the Abrupt Resignation of Middlebury Union High School’s Principal

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Dunn shared a trove of evidence that backed up her story: dozens of emails between herself and administrators and the school district's lawyer, meetings with Campbell that she'd recorded, and the private eye's report.

When I presented the findings to the school district, it corroborated many of the key details of Dunn's account. But I still didn't have Campbell's side of the story. Before I could write the article, I needed to give him the opportunity to refute the allegations against him, or at least explain why he had taken the actions that resulted in his resignation.

I left several phone messages but didn't hear back from Campbell. So, with the encouragement of my editors, I decided to take the next logical step: going to his home outside of Middlebury.

I typed up a short letter explaining who I was and why I wanted to talk to him. I drove south down Route 7, my heart pounding. I tried to calm myself by thinking about the worst thing that might happen: a verbal barrage or a door slammed in my face, perhaps. I could handle that.

When I pulled into Campbell's driveway, it was clear that someone was home. Two dogs barked in the yard and a car sat in the driveway, a pair of glasses casually tossed on the dashboard. I approached a door and knocked, timidly at first and then more forcefully.

"Hello, is anyone there?" I called out.

After around 10 minutes, when it became clear that no one was going to greet me, I slipped my letter in the screened-in porch and left.

When we published the story later that month, I knew that I'd at least given Campbell the opportunity to share his perspective. I still wonder what he would have said.