Washington Elementary Principal Returns After Admitting Election Manipulation

Santa Barbara Santa Maria San Luis Obispo, CA, October 9, 2026 — Washington Elementary School Principal Arielle Curry has been reinstated following a period of administrative leave. The leave was prompted by an admission from Curry that she manipulated student election results at the Santa Barbara school.

According to the admission, Curry interfered with the outcomes of student elections. A specific instance cited involved the awarding of the 6th-grade president position. Curry acknowledged that she disregarded the actual vote totals to ensure her own child received the position.

Following the incident and her admission, Curry was placed on administrative leave. Details regarding the duration of her leave or the specific timeline of the election manipulation were not provided.

The school is located in Santa Barbara. The exact nature of the election process that was manipulated and the full scope of the impact on the student body were not detailed.

Upon her return, Principal Curry issued an apology for her actions. She has also stated a commitment to reforming the student election process at Washington Elementary. The specifics of the proposed reforms were not disclosed.

The contractor’s name was not provided. The fine amount was not provided. The inspection outcomes were not provided. Information regarding any prior history of similar incidents at the school was not provided.

Curry’s return to her principal duties signifies the conclusion of the immediate administrative action taken by the school district. Further details on the implementation and oversight of the reformed election process are anticipated.

Story summarized from the original created by Jean Yamamura on www.independent.com, see more information here.