The Louisiana Department of Education has suspended the teaching certificate for Spurgeon Banyard, the principal of Carencro Middle School.

“We have been notified by the LDOE,” said Interim Superintendent Burnell LeJeune. “It’s a personnel issue and we are following through on what LDOE has provided us. We are going through and checking everything.”

LeJeune said that as of Tuesday, Banyard was still serving as the Carencro Middle principal.

State records indicate that the suspension took place Tuesday. There is no indication of how long the suspension will last, or what prompted the action.

Ken Pastorick, a Department of Education spokesman, also said he was unable to provide further details about the suspension since it is a personnel matter.

According to a state bulletin, teaching certificates can be suspended for several reasons, including criminal offenses, facilitation of cheating, fraudulent documentation or continued ineffectiveness. Unless the suspension results from a severe criminal offense, educators may appeal the suspension. In most cases, state officials will investigate the issue further before deciding whether to revoke the certificate altogether or reinstate it.

This isn’t the first time that Banyard has faced problems since arriving at Carencro Middle in 2012.

He is the defendant in two pending civil lawsuits brought against him by former Carencro Middle employees. Ada Thomas, the school’s former assistant principal, filed a suit in April 2014, alleging that Banyard had verbally abused her, humiliated her and made unwanted advances on her on multiple occasions.

In January, Sandra Stevens, a former Carencro Middle special education instructor,filed a civil suit that accused Banyard of continued harassment. Stevens also alleged that school system officials, including then-Superintendent Pat Cooper, took no action when she brought her complaints to them.

Banyard previously has denied the allegations.

Banyard was named Carencro Middle principal in October 2012 after Russ Meyer stepped down from the position. Banyard’s hire came with questions, especially when it was learned he had worked in eight different schools since 2003, mostly in his native Mississippi. Some parents and administrators elsewhere have lauded Banyard as a strong disciplinarian who brought needed change to struggling schools. But at Moss Point High School in Mississippi, Banyard was reportedly fired amid accusations of abuse and general poor conduct.