WASHINGTON TERRACE — Chris Earnest, the Weber High School principal who was the focus of a Weber School District probe stemming from a football recruiting controversy, has retired.

Simultaneously, the district said in a statement on Thursday that the investigation into Earnest has ended, without providing any information about what, if anything, came of the probe.

“As the investigation drew to a close, Ms. Earnest let the district know, through her attorney, that she will be retiring effective immediately. Because Ms. Earnest chose to retire, there is nothing further for the district to do,” said the statement. “The district wishes to thank Ms. Earnest for her 31 years of dedicated service as a teacher and school administrator in Weber School District.”

Earnest was the focus of a probe announced on Aug. 31 stemming from complaints about how she handled a separate investigation into allegations of inappropriate recruitment of two students from Davis County. They were brought over to play on the football team at Weber High School, located in Pleasant View.

Charges of “unprofessional conduct and potential violations of district policies” subsequently emerged against her, the district said in its announcement last month. She had been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 16 stemming from the probe into her handling of the recruitment issue.

Notwithstanding the controversy, many parents stand by Earnest and spoke out Thursday in her support after news of her departure from the school district emerged.

“She is the best of the best. She is thoughtful, kind, considerate,” said Maria Johnson, who has a junior at Weber High School and three other older children who previously attended the school. “She is an advocate for the parents and the students and for the administration.”

Likewise, Jennie Taylor, another Weber High School parent, lauded Earnest’s dedication to the kids. The administrator was a regular at all sorts of student activities.

“She’s given her life to those kids. Those kids are her children,” said Taylor, who helps lead the Major Brent Taylor Foundation.

That she would be at the center of an investigation over mishandling of a probe or other missteps doesn’t jibe with Taylor’s experience with Earnest. “She is one of the most ethical rule followers any of us know,” she said.

Though the district said little about the details of Earnest’s departure, the sides seem to have hammered out some sort of accord related to her retirement, including a nondisclosure agreement limiting what either side can say about the investigation.

“With her retirement and the nondisclosure agreement that’s in place, we’re not allowed to release the details,” said district spokesman Lane Findlay. He didn’t reveal what findings, if any, emerged from the investigation but said it was largely complete when Earnest advised district officials of her retirement plans.

As for the recruitment issue, the probe headed by Earnest determined that an assistant Weber High School football coach had improperly recruited two players to the squad. Zac Connors, the offensive coordinator, was subsequently fired, though he maintains that he was told that recruiting allegations hadn’t been substantiated.

The two students at the center of the issue, meantime, had their eligibility restored by the Utah High School Activities Association after missing two games while Earnest’s investigation unfolded. They had transferred from Layton High.

Earnest was in her sixth year as principal of Weber High School, where she started in 2018. Prior to that, she served as principal at Orion Junior High School in Harrisville and also worked previous to that as a teacher in the district for 19 years.

The school district is working on finding a replacement to fill the Weber High School principal’s post.

Both Taylor and Johnson, the Weber High School parents, say many have been talking among themselves, concerned that the turn of events overshadows what they say is Earnest’s stellar career in education.

Earnest would write thank-you notes to parents who helped with school activities, Taylor said, and would attend school plays, sports events and other activities as a show of support to the students in her charge. “The career deserves to be celebrated,” Taylor said.

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