Mountain Home principal arrested; accused of sexual abuse of a child

The principal of Hacker Middle School in Mountain Home, John F. Clark, was arrested Friday night and charged with sexual abuse of a child under 16.

The superintendent of Mountain Home School District, James Gilbert, sent out an email to families in the district that said the “incident did not involve any Hacker students or happen on school grounds.”

The gravity of the accusation pushed Gilbert to acknowledge the situation, at least to reassure parents, he wrote in the email.

Clark was put on administrative leave and removed from the building, according to the email.

In the email Gilbert said the school district couldn’t disclose much information.

“While we know there may be many questions regarding this situation, the district is limited on the information tha tcan be provided, as this is a personnel and criminal matter,” Gilbert said in the email. “As we move forward, we want to assure you that we have a plan in place to address the needs of students and staff at Hacker Middle School.”

This story was originally published January 24, 2016 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Mountain Home principal arrested; accused of sexual abuse of a child."