Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in Tyrone will start afresh with a new principal and different approach to handling complaints following the dismissal this week of Nanci Pearson, who was named principal about a year ago when the school was under construction.

According to Monsignor Peter Dora, vicar general of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, Pearson was relieved of her duties because of the way complaints and issues voiced by parents were handled or not addressed. “It has nothing to do with character; it had to do with management,” Dora said.

Monsignor Terry W. Young, secretary of education for the archdiocese, met with parents at the school Wednesday night and introduced the new principal, Sallie McQuaid, who is a former principal of St. John the Evangelist Catholic School in Hapeville. Dora called McQuaid “a seasoned professional” who would be the school's permanent principal.

“We're moving in a more harmonious direction,” he added. Dora acknowledged that there would be a time of healing ahead.

Our Lady of Victory is Fayette County's first Catholic elementary school. It opened its doors to approximately 200 students in grades kindergarten through eighth in September. The school lost about 10 percent of its initial enrollment early on, Dora said, but recent figures for enrollment exceed the 200 mark.

The school draws from the Catholic populations of Fayette, Coweta and south Fulton counties.

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