Fed Hock board fires three, including high school principal

STEWART, Ohio — The Federal Hocking Board of Education voted Tuesday night to nonrenew contracts for two teachers at the middle school and for high school Principal Jake Amlin, as recommended by Superintendent Jason Spencer.

Middle school teachers Jaclyn Casey and Carrie Towne are employed under limited contracts, which can be for no more than five years and must be renewed. Teachers with more education and experience are eligible for continuing contracts, which remain in force until the teacher retires, resigns or is terminated for cause. 

Administrative contracts, such as Amlin’s, can be in effect for no more than three years — unless the individual has been an administrator with the district for at least three years. Amlin was the district’s assistant superintendent for student services for seven years before his appointment as high school principal for the 2022–23 school year. 

Votes on Casey’s and Towne’s contracts were unanimous; board member Jenny Leigh cast the lone no vote against nonrenewing Amlin’s contract.

News of plans to fire Amlin prompted several dozen high school students to walk out of classes Tuesday morning.

Immediately upon convening the meeting at 6 p.m., the board voted to enter executive session. As the 100+ crowd waited, parent Kelly Harkness circulated petitions to recall board President Kerry Sheridan-Boyd. 

“I don’t agree with the way she does things. I don’t agree with her ideas about certain things that she wants to do with the district. I am not a fan of Dr. Spencer’s – it was technically her idea to hire the man,” said Harkness, whose children attend Amesville Elementary and Federal Hocking Middle School.

Ohio law does not allow recall of a school board member; only municipal officials may be recalled.

At 6:35 p.m., Amlin was called in to meet with the board. As he left the cafeteria with Treasurer Bruce Steenrod, the crowd erupted into cheers. 

Amlin returned to the cafeteria around 8:15 p.m., but the board did not return to open session until 8:35 p.m.

Parents, staff and students speak out

Speakers during the public comment period praised Amlin.

District psychologist Danielle Polk said Amlin is “the most intelligent, compassionate, in-touch and proactive administrators” she has worked with in her 15-year career.

“Not only does Jake Amlin go out of his way to create safe spaces for families, students and staff, he also spends a tremendous amount of time analyzing data and problem solving to determine how to make everyone, including himself, better,” Polk said.

“He believes in every student — the high achievers, the athletes, the band, the clubs, the Career Center students, the students that struggle,” Polk continued. “Jake never gives up on a student, on many students that others could have or have given up on. Jake never does. Simply put, he’s changing lives, changing families, changing our community.”

Several parents said that Amlin has made a difference for students who otherwise might have failed or dropped out of school. 

“He has done nothing but provide support to the students that are here, especially the disenfranchised ones. He is the one that is keeping students in school,” said parent Amanda McKnight. 

Like McKnight, a parent named Natasha said that she and Amlin “butted heads a few times.”

“But he’s always been there for my son,” Natasha said. “My son has learning issues, and [Amlin] has always backed my son up. … If you lose him, it’s your loss — but I’m not leaving my children at Federal Hocking. They’ll be homeschooled.”

Similarly, parent Courtney Gibson said that Amlin has supported her child and other students.

“If it was not for that man right there, my son would not be where he is at today,” Gibson said. “That man bent over backwards for my son and the rest of these kids. … He is the best damn principal this school has ever had.”

McKnight suggested that Amlin was under fire because “he is the one that is protecting them from more policies that we don’t agree with. He is coaching them. He’s trying to do the right thing, and we’re gonna what? —Say, ‘Oh, no, we don’t want that. Sorry.’ Because the students are standing up for themselves? Because they’re challenging your authority? That’s not okay, and I refuse to accept it.”

Equal to the speakers’ admiration for Amlin was their evident dissatisfaction with the board and Spencer.

Federal Hocking High School senior Darius Pierce spoke on behalf of his class, despite having undergone surgery earlier in the day. Pale-faced, clutching a bucket and with legs shaking, Pierce praised Amlin and blasted the board and Spencer for wanting to fire him..

“Until now, I was probably the board’s last supporter,” he said. “Mr. Spencer, I looked up to you as a man with great integrity. That has changed.” 

Pierce said that Amlin had helped the high school recover from the COVID lockdowns and controversy involving former principal Cliff Bonner (paywall), describing the level of support he provides as “unprecedented.”

“Because of Mr. Amlin’s support, I was accepted to three Ivy League schools and five top 20s, and three of my senior peers are also going to top 20 schools,” he said. “Because of Mr. Amlin, our class is going places. … yet time and time again, we have the conversation of him not returning — shameful. You should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.”

Pierce warned the district against disciplining students who participated in Tuesday morning’s walkout in protest of Amlin’s firing, mentioning a U.S. Supreme Court decision protecting free speech rights of students and teachers.

“If you retaliate against the students’ right to protest, I’ll reach out to my contacts on the Ohio Supreme Court and the governor’s office,” Pierce said. 

The senior class is ready to exercise their rights, he said.

“The senior class as a whole is ready to protest graduation,” he said.

Parent Mindy Walker called on Spencer to “resign and elevate your career somewhere else,” drawing a rebuke from Sheridan-Boyd.

“This is a board meeting,” she said. “We will not allow bashing of employees of any kind.”

“I’m not bashing anyone,” Walker replied. 

Walker said that Sheridan-Boyd and Spencer have delivered “nothing but chaos, drama, overspending and dropping student numbers … and if you remain here, I believe that will continue.” 

Her parting shot at Spencer — “What gives you the right and who the hell do you think you are?” — drew applause.

The last to speak was parent Jimmy Meeks, who said that the crowds at previous school board meetings had been trying to save jobs “instead of talking about the one job that needs gone in this school district, the cancer eating at this school district that has been put in place this year” — referring to Spencer.

“It seems like you guys are doing everything possible to bury this school district. I don’t think there’s anybody out here that thinks you are trying to improve this district,” he said. “I think you’re just trying to run it into the ground. And as far as what I’ve been seeing, you’re doing a damn fine job at it.“

After the public comment period ended, the board continued with the agenda. The nonrenewals came up for a vote around 9:35 p.m. and were all completed in about a minute and a half, with no discussion. Towne’s and Casey’s nonrenewals were approved unanimously. Amlin’s nonrenewal passed 4–1, with Jenny Leigh casting the sole no vote.

The Federal Hocking Board of Education meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for May 20 in the library at Federal Hocking High School, 8461 SR 144, Stewart. The finance committee will meet Tuesday, April 22, in the high school library.