BUFFALO, N.Y. — Educator and former principal at McKinley High School Crystal Boling-Barton has passed away.
Boling-Barton's family made the announcement Wednesday afternoon.
Boling-Barton served as a Buffalo Public school teacher before becoming an administrator.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Mother Crystal Boling-Barton. She served 42 years in the Buffalo Public School System and was the Principal of McKinley High School. She began her career as a teacher and was able to reach a small group of students, but she had bigger goals. So, she went into Administration, so that she could help and reach even more students and she certainly did that. She loved her job and took it very seriously. She enjoyed the relationships she made over the years and those relationships include her colleagues and ALL of the students that she oversaw. She has achieved some extraordinary accomplishments throughout her lifetime and our entire family is very proud of her. She will be missed dearly. Thank you to everyone who reached out with their thoughts and prayers. We ask that you please continue to keep our family in your prayers and we also ask for privacy at this time. -The Hunt Family
Boling-Barton recently won a settlement from the Buffalo Public School District after she was placed on leave in 2017.
She was placed on paid administrative leave in May 2017 after the New York Civil Liberties Union claimed the school had discriminated against an LGBTQ student, but that lawsuit was dismissed months later. Boling-Barton then asked to return to work but was accused of misusing funds "due to improper paperwork or not spending them according to the district’s policy." Those allegations were raised in 2019.
Boling-Barton had filed her own lawsuit, however, claiming the district and former Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash of discriminating against her.
According to the settlement agreement, the district would pay Boling-Barton $200,000 for the "overtime and/or extra-activity payments that she would have earned during the specific time period of May 11, 2017 through the date of execution."
Shortly after the settlement, Boling-Barton was offered the principal position at McKinley High School. However, she retired in April.