Harford County’s school board president is resigning Thursday, according to an email sent to the county’s public school staff, saying the responsibilities of the role has left him stretched thin but also acknowledging the recent controversy facing the district.

The announcement comes the morning after Aaron Poynton said that Superintendent Sean Bulson was put on administrative leave after a recording of a 911 call raised questions about the educator’s actions during a conference in 2024. The board decided to initiate an “independent investigation” into the matter during a special meeting on Wednesday

In an email sent to school staff Thursday morning that was shared with The Banner, Poynton said that his increased workload as school board president has made him unable to “give appropriate attention to other important aspects of my life, including my family and my professional responsibilities.”

He said he’s starting a new role as chief executive officer next week that would require his full time attention.

“With that in mind, I have no choice but to resign from my position on the Harford County Board of Education, effective today,” wrote Poynton, who has served on the school board since 2023, after being appointed by Harford’s county executive.

He added that the decision comes at a time of turbulence for the county’s public schools, and said, “I want to be clear that my decision was not influenced by the recent challenges facing the district.”

In a Thursday interview, Poynton said the timing of him stepping aside was “imminent.”

“I was just hoping to organize a more orderly transition,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I have to prioritize my career and my family over the school board.”

He said he asked the Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education to investigate the superintendent and he declined to share the name of his new employer.

The superintendent controversy began after Turnbull Brockmeyer Law Group’s Facebook posted audio this week purporting to be a 911 call from Bulson during a 2024 school-related conference in New Orleans, during which the county’s top educator reported $8,000 worth of items stolen from a hotel room. In the audio clip, the caller said he suspected a woman whose name he did not know took a laptop, wallet, cellphone and other items while he was sleeping.

The veracity of the audio has not been confirmed. The Banner requested a copy of the call from the New Orleans government, where an official said they’ve been inundated with requests.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.