“If I’m gonna take that blame, we better have some proof:” Principal of troubled Las Cruces charter school responds to bullying allegations

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- The Chief Academic Officer of Alma D'Arte charter school in Las Cruces has responded to bullying allegations made against him over the last few months by parents of students at the school.

This comes as the school is working on implementing a corrective action plan to avoid being shut down by the state of New Mexico after they were found to be in breach of charter in April.

Dr. Adam Amador has been with Alma D’Arte since August of 2023, and he has since been accused by parents of bullying them and their students.

He’s also been accused of creating a hostile work environment by former staff members.

ABC-7 was able to sit down one-on-one with Amador Monday afternoon to gather his side of the story.

He calls the allegations lies, including arguably the most serious, where a woman says Amador bullied her son, Alma D’Arte student Malachi Delanoy in 2023, just before he committed suicide.

“If I’m gonna take the blame, we better have some proof," said Amador.

Amador says Malachi’s mother, Cindy Delanoy, originally claimed on social media her son was bullied by other students before later stating that he bullied him as well.

“We held a candlelight vigil right after he passed away, where umpteen students got up and said he’d been bullied here," said Amador.

"She was there, and had the opportunity to speak, and she did not. Now I’m not trying to be insensitive, but we have to state the facts," he added.

He also claims the very first time he met Malachi was the day before he died.

ABC-7 also caught up with Cindy Delanoy Monday, who we last spoke to in April.

“He says right off that I didn’t set him up," said Delanoy.

She says grief impacted her mental health severely, adding it took three months for her to make a coherent thought after her son took his own life.

“I think that just because I didn’t mention him right off the bat leaves him completely not culpable at all," she added.

This comes on the heels of an upcoming Public Education Commission meeting later this month, where the fate of the school will be decided.

It also comes as parents and former staff continue to call upon the school’s governance council to resign, and for Amador to be removed.

PEC chairwoman Patrica Gippon says the commission will hear to see if the school has improved, and if not, serious consequences may lie ahead.

“The PEC could move to hold a revocation hearing of the school’s charter," said Gippon to ABC-7 over the phone Monday.

Despite the outcry, Alma D'Arte Governance Council president Richelle Peugh-Swafford stands with Amador, and believes people are protesting the school’s leadership for the wrong reasons.

“We have investigated complaints, and have not found solid proof that what they’re saying is a fact," said Peugh-Swafford.

"It’s mostly based on opinions and feelings," she added.

The PEC meeting will take place in Santa Fe on June, 21st.