Former principal accused of student sexual assault
The abuse is alleged to have started after the student moved into the principal's Robbinsdale residence while he was attending high school.
*Disclaimer: Criminal complaints are based off law enforcement’s and prosecutor's interpretation of what a defendant did. They should not be considered factual by the public. All those charged with crimes are innocent until proven in a court of law. Any accusation in the below story comes from court documents unless expressly noted.*
MINNEAPOLIS – A former high school principal is accused of sexually assaulting a student over the course of several years, according to new charges filed in Hennepin County District Court Monday.
Mary Lynn Donaldson, 67, of Robbinsdale, is charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving penetration with a child between 13 and 15 while in a position of authority and felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child between 16 and 17 while in a position of authority.
Donaldson is accused of sexually assaulting the student while he was enrolled at her school from 2008 to 2012, starting when he was around 14 or 15 years old.
The student, now a 28-year-old adult, reported the abuse to police in December 2025, according to a criminal complaint signed by Robbinsdale Police Detective Casey Landherr and Hennepin County prosecutor Dan Allard.
The former student told police that the sexual abuse started after he moved in with Donaldson and that she bribed him not to report the abuse.
The complaint does not list where Donaldson was employed as principal and state records show her teaching license expired in 2020.
A first appearance is scheduled for Nov. 9 at 1:31 p.m. in the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility. Donaldson is not in police custody.
***For help following a sexual assault, please visit the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault to find advocacy and medical services.***
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