The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction has placed a temporary hold on the teaching credential of a former Lakeridge Elementary educator after concluding an inquiry into unauthorized withdrawals from fellow staff members’ personal funds.
Sophia Johnston, who worked as a special education instructor at the Mercer Island district school, accepted a mandatory pause on her Washington Education Certificate lasting no less than three months. The hiatus follows substantiated claims that Johnston withdrew cash from multiple colleagues without prior consultation or consent.
A formal agreement detailing the suspension, dated January 9, 2026, outlines how Johnston accessed over $1,200 across roughly a dozen co-workers’ belongings during a nine-month window beginning in early 2023. Investigators noted her pattern of entering vacant classrooms to retrieve money stored in staff members’ purses, bags, or desks.
Discoveries related to the withdrawals surfaced in the latter part of 2023. On December 13 of that year, Johnston acknowledged the withdrawals to two individuals directly affected, prompting the district to assign her to administrative duties shortly thereafter.
In the weeks following, she began addressing the financial impact: $439 was delivered to the school site on December 15, with an additional $100 transferred digitally to another educator soon after. Her formal departure from the Mercer Island district occurred in early February 2024.
During a follow-up discussion with state oversight staff in September 2025, Johnston shared that she had remained engaged in counseling since departing the district, focusing on emotional regulation, stress management, and improved decision-making around money.
State officials concluded that Johnston’s conduct met the threshold for concerns regarding “good moral character or personal fitness,” standards expected of all licensed educators in Washington. As part of the suspension framework, she is prohibited from petitioning for reactivation of her credential until after the initial 90-day period.
To restore full certification, Johnston must file a fresh application, submit to fingerprinting for both federal and state background screenings, and confirm no additional criminal offenses have been recorded. All expenses tied to fulfilling these requirements fall upon her.
Additional details about the suspension are documented in the signed Agreed Order, which remains accessible through the OSPI website.