Vermont elementary school principal, 41, on paid leave during probe into suspected DUI car crash

An allegedly impaired elementary school principal in Vermont was placed on paid leave after he crashed his car miles away from campus Tuesday afternoon.

Gavin Roddy, 41, got into a single-car crash in Swanton and began exhibiting signs of being impaired after police arrived, just after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to Vermont State Police.

He was arrested on suspicion of DUI, police said. Roddy’s mugshot showed visible scratches and redness around his nose and across his forehead.

The exact details of the crash are unclear, other than it took place 15 miles away from Berkshire Elementary School grounds — where Roddy has served as principal since 2023.

Roddy was immediately placed on paid administrative leave following his arrest, the superintendent for the Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union district confirmed in a statement to NBC5.

“This is a standard personnel procedure that ensures all employee rights, including Principal Roddy’s right to due process, are respected,” the statement read. “We are committed to maintaining a stable and supportive learning environment for our students and staff.”

Berkshire was closed Monday due to the blizzard that slammed the Northeast, but it is also unclear whether the school resumed classes on Tuesday.

The school’s assistant principal was bumped up to acting principal while the probe is ongoing, the superintendent said.

Before taking over as head honcho in Berkshire, Roddy served as the assistant principal at the Arizona-based Academy of Math and Science. He was also a finalist for a separate assistant principal position in Enosburg Falls Middle School — one town over from Berkshire — in 2023, the Saint Albans Messenger reported.

He earned his master’s in education in 2019.

Roddy is credited as the architect of the Academy of Math and Science’s current ELA curriculum, which he helped rewrite while rising from a language arts teacher to the dean of students, the outlet reported.

He was released from police custody and is due in court on March 17, according to police.

The Post reached out to Roddy for comment.