Olentangy Orange principal placed on leave after controversial election

LEWIS CENTER, Ohio (WCMH) — A high school principal was placed on administrative leave after including a controversial message about the results of the 2024 election in a newsletter to staff.

Olentangy Orange High School Principal Monica Asher was placed on paid administrative leave after voicing frustrations about the results of the election. Asher included the message in a weekly staff newsletter sent out Sunday evening, and district representatives said she was placed on leave effective Thursday.

“I can’t write a message that pretends like the election didn’t happen; especially when so many of you are struggling with how to move forward,” Asher wrote. “I know you are struggling with how to move forward with your students who are afraid, but also how to move forward with colleagues that don’t share your views.”

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Asher’s message was widely shared on X, including a Wednesday post from Libs of TikTok, a conservative-leaning account with 3.7 million followers. The account’s post alone garnered over 820,000 views in just 24 hours.

NBC4 reached out to the school district for comment, who provided an update on Asher’s employment.

“Olentangy Orange High School Principal Monica Asher has been placed on paid administrative leave effective Thursday, November 14, 2024. Administrative leave is a procedural step to protect the integrity of any district investigation,” the school district said.

District staff said they could not provide any further comment because an investigation is ongoing.

Asher was named the 2022-2023 Ohio Principal of the Year and is the current president of the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators. District representatives would not confirm if Asher’s leave was because of the newsletter, but they did mention the two in tandem.

Read the newsletter in its entirety below:

State-of-the-Pioneer-11_10_2024 Download

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