A local school principal’s effort to get students excited about the recent election was met with some resistance from members of the community who interpreted it as a partisan political statement, and the school district agreed.

  After national media outlets called the presidential election in favor of Joe Biden (an outcome that at press time was still being contested and had not been certified by election officials), a message was sent the weekend of November 8 and addressed to “Ola Family.” District officials confirmed it was sent to staff members at Ola Elementary members at Ola Elementary School, whose principal is Amanda Cavin, according to the school’s website.

  Here is the message in its entirety:

  “Dear Ola Family,

  Wow! What a weekend! The Dawgs lost against the University of Florida, and Kamala Harris made history as the first woman elected vice president, the first black American elected vice president, and the first South Asian-American elected vice president of the United States of America. That is impressive!”

  “On Monday I was hoping you could set aside your personal political beliefs and acknowledge this moment in our history for our students. Our little girls and boys need to hear you speak positively about a woman of color being elected to lead our nation. Read about her, have your students read about her, and share what they learned. Why is she someone who they say is shattering glass ceilings? It was only 55 years ago that ALL citizens could vote in this country, and last week our nation elected Kamala Harris, a woman of color, to office. This moment matters. Worried about what a parent might say? Them them to give me a call and then carry on.”

  The message was shared on social media in short order by dozens of citizens and the reaction was mixed. The school district released this official statement November 9:

  “We are aware of a communication sent to staff members at a school in our district regarding the most recent presidential elections. As prioritized in Henry County Board of Education Policy IKB, students should be able to form and express their own opinions on issues without jeopardizing their relationships with teachers or the school, and the internal memo that was distributed to staff disregarded this expectation. The matter of concern has been addressed at the school level. It is regrettable that this has caused a disruption to this school community.”