Todd W. Haag
Introduction
Todd W. Haag is a 56-year-old educator with thirty years in the profession who served as principal of Jardine Middle School in Topeka, Kansas — and was arrested at the school itself on November 5, 2026, by Topeka police on child sex crime charges including aggravated criminal sodomy, sexual exploitation of a child, and solicitation offenses. Topeka Public Schools placed Haag on administrative leave within a day of the arrest and told families the district is working closely with law enforcement as the investigation proceeds .
Background Information
According to Haag’s biography on Jardine’s website, he worked in education for thirty years, serving Topeka Public Schools at Williams, Jardine, and Scott Dual Language schools before leading Jardine Middle School as principal. His career in the district spanned the elementary and middle-school levels, and his arrest on campus — rather than at his home — marked the case as unusual from the first report. The Topeka Police Department made the arrest Thursday, November 5, 2026 .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged; presumption of innocence. Haag faces charges that have not been tested in court; he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Topeka police officers arrested Haag at Jardine Middle School on Thursday and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on charges of aggravated criminal sodomy, sexual exploitation of a child, indecent solicitation of a child, and electronic solicitation. Authorities provided no additional information about the allegations — no victim details, no time frame, and no account of what triggered the warrant .
School officials confirmed Haag has been placed on administrative leave. “We know this information is concerning; please be assured that the district is working closely with law enforcement and we will have district staff on site in support of students and staff,” a statement from Topeka Public Schools said in part. “Additionally, we thank law enforcement for their support for the Jardine Campus as they investigate this matter” .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The arrest of a sitting middle-school principal on his own campus, on charges that include exploiting and soliciting a child, sent the district into immediate response mode: district staff deployed to the Jardine campus to support students and staff, and the district’s statement to families paired the leave announcement with an acknowledgment of how concerning the news would land. The story spread nationally through Gray Television’s station syndication within hours of the booking .
Current Status
Haag remains charged with four counts — aggravated criminal sodomy, sexual exploitation of a child, indecent solicitation of a child, and electronic solicitation — booked into the Shawnee County jail pending further proceedings, and on administrative leave from Topeka Public Schools. No arraignment date, bond ruling, plea, or defense attorney was reported in the fetched coverage, and police have released no charging narrative. The investigation is at its opening stage .
Impact on Their Career/Life
Thirty years in one district ended with a perp walk through the front door of the school he led — and the administrative leave that follows such an arrest is, in practice, the end of a principal’s standing with the community he served, whatever the courts eventually decide. For Topeka Public Schools, the case forces the district’s support apparatus toward the Jardine campus while investigators determine whether the charges reach beyond the four counts now filed. For Haag, the license and the career both now hang on a case the state has barely begun to describe .
Sources
- WIBW via Gray Media (KCBD), “Middle school principal arrested for suspected child sex crimes,” November 6, 2026 — source