Purpose: Early conceptual thinking about distrust and more recent neurological evidence reveals that distrust is not the same as low trust. They are distinct mental states, active in different brain regions and shaped by different experiences. We use this evidence to conceptualize teacher distrust in the school principal and to construct a set of hypotheses for empirical testing. Design/methodology/approach: A correlational research design with teacher survey data was used for the empirical study. Teacher survey data came from a sample of high school teachers in a metropolitan area of a southwestern state in the United States. A total of 801 high school teachers received an electronic survey by email. Useable responses were received from 416 teachers, leading to a 52% response rate. Hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling in AMOS 28 using Robust Maximum Likelihood estimation. Findings: The empirical evidence demonstrates that distrust and trust have different antecedents and that these perceptions have opposite relationships with teacher work stress and loyalty behaviors. Originality/value: This study is a first step toward better understanding the distinction between distrust and trust in school role-relationships.