photo by: Lawrence school district

Zach Harwood

The Lawrence school district has named an interim principal for the Lawrence Virtual School after the school’s leader resigned earlier this month to take a position in the Topeka school district.

Zach Harwood will take over for Susan Cooper, pending school board approval, the district announced Monday in a news release.

Harwood taught eighth grade science at Billy Mills Middle School in Lawrence from 2013 to 2019. Since then, he has served as an assistant principal and athletic director for three years for schools in Carbondale and Olathe, and as the organizational excellence coordinator for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center since 2022.

Harwood earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Kansas and a master’s at Baker University.

“I am incredibly excited about and grateful for the opportunity to join the Lawrence Virtual School. The chance to work with students from across the state to reach their academic potential is a dream come true,” Harwood said in the release.

Launched in 2004, Lawrence Virtual School serves approximately 560 K-12 students.