Montgomery County high school principal placed on leave; reason unclear
Montgomery County high school principal placed on leave
The principal of Northwest High School in Germantown was placed on leave, though school officials did not share a reason or timeline for the leave.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - The principal of Northwest High School in Germantown has been placed on leave, according to a notice sent to families by Montgomery County Public Schools.
What we know:
Scott Smith has served as the principal of Northwest High School since 2021. He was removed from his active duties without an explanation from district officials about the reason for the decision or how long the leave is expected to last.
The district's Division of School Leadership and Improvement announced the change in a brief letter sent to families.
"I am writing to let you know that Mr. Scott Smith is currently on leave. At this time, assistant principal Mrs. Danielle Abdelsalam will serve as the acting principal. Under her leadership, we are confident that the operations of the school and instructional program will remain strong during Mr. Smith’s absence…We are committed to sharing more information regarding the length of Mr. Smith’s absence when available."
Dig deeper:
On Wednesday morning, news crews outside the school observed officials loading boxes of documents from the building into vans. It is unclear what those documents were or where they were being transported.
The sudden move has left the school community searching for clarity.
Students said they first learned about the situation through an Instagram post, while parents have turned to online blogs to ask one another what might have happened.
Parents and students in the community declined to speak on camera, noting they were not given any explanation by Maryland's largest school district.
FOX 5 has reached out directly to Smith for comment, but has not heard back.
The Source: Information in this article is from Montgomery County Public Schools.