AMHERST — Juan A. Rodriguez, Amherst Regional Middle School’s interim principal, will become the school’s permanent principal starting July 1.

An Amherst College graduate with more than 10 years of teaching and school leadership experience, Rodriguez was named to the position by Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman after demonstrating a commitment to equity and showing strong communication skills with students, families and staff during his tenure, which started last August as the school’s assistant principal.

Rodriguez took on the interim principal role in February following the departure of Michael Sullivan, who had begun as interim principal July 1, 2024 and remained in the role until his resignation, for personal reasons, on Feb. 28.

“I am honored and excited to continue serving the Amherst-Pelham community as the permanent principal of ARMS,” Rodríguez said in a statement. “Our students are brilliant, creative, and full of promise. I look forward to working alongside families and staff to build on the strong foundation here, fostering a school culture where every learner feels seen, supported and celebrated.”

Herman cited the ability for Rodriguez to be committed to making every classroom a welcoming space for all learners, in part due to his own journey as an English learner.

“Over the past year, as interim principal, he’s brought steadiness, heart and a clear vision to the middle school,” Herman said. “His leadership reflects the values we hold as a district, and his appointment brings much-needed stability and continuity to our middle school community.”

The stability referenced by Herman has been an issue for the school where Amherst, Pelham, Shutesbury and Leverett seventh and eighth graders are educated. The school has been without a permanent since Diego Sharon left in the middle of his third year at the helm to become the dean of students at the high school. During most of the 2023-2024 school year, High School Principal Talib Sadiq oversaw both school buildings.

The school was also the subject of investigatory reports released in 2023 revealing that school leaders failed to adequately protect LGBTQ+ students from bullying and harassment by classmates and staff members and allowed offensive conduct by at least one employee to continue despite multiple complaints.

Rodriguez holds a master’s degree of Education in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well as a certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard Business School Online. His background includes work in both classroom instruction and district-level administration, with a focus on restorative justice, social-emotional learning, culturally responsive teaching and equity-centered leadership.

His first day in the permanent role will be July 1.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.