Three Durham Public Schools administrators have been indicted after an investigation into the handling of an incident in which an autistic child was found tied to a chair.

A grand jury indicted Tounya Clayton Wright, principal at Eno Valley Elementary School; Tanya Janique Giovanni, a deputy superintendent; and Ayesha Hunter, senior executive director of employee relations.

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The administrators — who have been on paid leave since Dec. 19 pending a DPS investigation — are indicted on multiple charges of felony obstruction of justice. 

Hunter and Wright are also being charged with perjury.

Wright, Giovanni and Hunter didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. 

The indictments stem from an incident at Eno Valley Elementary in November of 2024.

District Superintendent Anthony Lewis told school families about the incident in an email Wednesday morning.

“Because active legal and personnel matters are ongoing, there are limits on what additional details I can share at this time,” Lewis wrote to families. “What I want to be clear about is this: nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our students. Any matter involving student safety must be handled with urgency, care, and full cooperation.”

In a message to district staff, Lewis said the district is “taking steps to reinforce expectations and provide additional guidance and training to support staff in meeting these responsibilities.”

WRAL News previously reported on the incident at the center of the investigation, in which police say an instructional assistant tied up a 6-year-old student with autism using a rope. The incident is said to have occurred at Eno Valley Elementary in November 2024.

According to one of three search warrants executed in the case, the alleged abuse was brought to light because a custodian witnessed it, discreetly took photos, and provided those photos to the front office. 

The warrant states that police believe there was then a "coordinated effort to deflect liability," as well as to fabricate and conceal key information and a timeline. Police said they spent months trying to obtain the photos and any investigative records maintained by the administrators. 

Only one of the instructional assistants named in the search warrant was charged, yet it notes her charges were later dismissed by the Durham County District Attorney's Office.

In repose to WRAL’s questions about why the charges were dropped, Durham District Attorney Satana Deberry said, "I do not have any comment I can make at this time." The warrant indicates police received conflicting information about whether that instructional assistant was present at the time of the incident. 

Durham police didn’t immediately respond to WRAL’s questions about whether the department was investigating the other instructional assistant.

Court records show a clerk gave Giovanni a $10,000 bond Wednesday, which she posted. Wright and Hunter were given bonds of $5,000 each, which they also posted.

The indictments

Prosecutors say the administrators provided inconsistent information over the course of the several months-long investigation. 

Wright was indicted on three potential charges of felony obstruction of justice and one potential  charge of perjury. She is alleged in part to have misled law enforcement about the date she learned of the incident and who made her aware of it, court documents show. 

Hunter was indicted on allegations that could lead to six charges of felony obstruction of justice and two charges of perjury. Indictment documents allege that she didn’t disclose evidence — including at least one witness statement — to law enforcement, even after stating that she didn’t have any notes related to the case.  

Giovanni was indicted on five counts of felony obstruction of justice. The state alleges that she didn’t produce evidence that the school system possessed in response to a search warrant and court orders. The indictment documents allege that the school system had a notarized affidavit of the Eno Valley principal about the alleged incident and that she didn’t disclose it to law enforcement.