Elementary school incident under investigation. Pierce Co. principal leaves role
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- District said it conducted a third-party investigation after the March 27, 2026 incident.
- Principal Connie Halvorson-Tran and assistant principal Abigail Finney are out.
- Nita Hill will serve as acting principal for the remainder of the school year.
An investigation is underway after an incident at an Orting school.
The Orting School District sent parents a letter through the app ParentSquare on April 15, saying an incident at Orting Elementary School has prompted the district to launch an investigation.
The News Tribune received a copy of the letter through a public records request on April 28. In the letter, the district said the incident involved two students and some staff members.
“On March 27, 2026, we learned of an incident that transpired between two students and staff members at Orting Elementary School, and the District immediately responded to a complaint regarding the incident and took steps to address the situation,” the letter says.
The district said it is limited in what information it can share “due to student privacy laws,” but that it has conducted “an independent, third-party investigation to fully review the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
In an email to The News Tribune on April 29, district spokesperson Brittany Piger said principal Connie Halvorson-Tran and assistant principal Abigail Finney are “on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.”
“Assistant Principal Nita Hill from Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary School will serve as acting principal for the remainder of the school year,” the April 15 letter said. “The District will also be posting both the principal and assistant principal positions for the 2026-2027 school year.”
The letter said the district has put measures in place “to ensure there is no ongoing safety risk to students” and that the investigation will “help us determine the facts, assess whether policies and procedures were followed, and identify any additional steps needed to strengthen student protections.”
The News Tribune reached out to Brittany Piger, spokesperson for the Orting School District, for more information, and she declined to comment.
“Thank you for reaching out and for your patience. The district is aware of the situation you’re referencing,” Piger wrote in an email on April 23. “As this is an active and ongoing investigation, we are not able to provide additional details at this time. We will share more information as appropriate when the process allows.”
Devon Gabreluk, chief of the Orting Police Department, confirmed to The News Tribune that the department is investigating, but declined to go into detail.
“I can confirm that we do have an active investigation involving an incident reported to our department that involves a former elementary school principal,” Gabreluk wrote in an email on April 28. “Unfortunately, I am unable to provide you with further details as to the nature of that case as the investigation is ongoing.”
Reports from the Orting Police Department, which The News Tribune obtained through a public records request, say there was a series of 911 calls from various schools in the district that day.
The News Tribune has filed public records requests with the district for additional information, including communications surrounding the staff changes and a copy of the district’s contract with the third-party investigator.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with comment from the Orting police chief. It has also been updated to clarify that Halvorson-Tran and Finney are on paid administrative leave.
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 12:52 PM.
