PICKERINGTON, Ohio — A Pickerington high school principal has resigned following a monthslong investigation, according to district officials.
Mark Ulbrich, the principal at Pickerington North High School, was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 24 while the district conducted an investigation. From there, he was temporarily reassigned to work at the district’s central administrative offices.
At the time, officials with Pickerington Local Schools did not provide further information on the circumstances surrounding the investigation.
The Pickerington school board unanimously accepted Ulbrich's resignation during its meeting Monday.
The independent investigation into Ulbrich was completed, according to a board member, and the district plans to turn over its findings to the Ohio Department of Education.
Ulbrich's resignation comes a week after 10TV's Bryant Somerville reported a Pickerington North student was sentenced in two sexual assault cases involving other children. Ulbrich signed off on a safety plan to allow the suspect to return while he was awaiting his trial.
Nine days after returning to school, a police report showed there was a third incident on a school bus involving another child. The teen suspect has not been charged in that case.
The district has not said this is the reason why Ulbrich was placed on leave or resigned.
A spokesperson with the school district emailed Ulbrich's resignation letter to 10TV, which reads, "At this time, I believe it is in the best interest of my family, PLSD and the Pickerington community that I resign my position as Principal of Pickerington High School North effective Monday, March 28, 2022."
The district said it plans to begin interviewing candidates for Ulbrich's replacement.
Stacy Tennenbaum, the principal at Pickerington Central High School, was also placed on leave on Jan. 24 for a separate, unrelated incident. The district later released a statement, saying Tennenbaum reportedly informed district officials about a comment she made to a student that was “perceived as culturally insensitive.”
Tennenbaum returned to work in February after the district assured her she would receive cultural sensitivity training.
You can read the full letter the district sent to the Pickerington North staff below:
"At tonight's regular meeting of the Pickerington Local School District Board of Education (the "Board"), Mr. Mark Ulbrich tendered his resignation as the principal of Pickerington High School North, effective immediately. The Board accepted his resignation.
We are aware that the past 2-3 months were challenging for many staff members during the pendency of Mr. Ulbrich's leave of absence and its associated investigation. We wish to stress that during this process, District officials had to be mindful of myriad legal issues, and subsequently could not be forthcoming about specific details. We are aware that this may have added to the challenges that staff members experienced, and while we sincerely regret that this occurred, we could not proceed in any other manner without the increased risk of liability to the District. We appreciate your patience during what was undoubtedly a stressful time.
We will provide additional information about the process to replace Mr. Ulbrich in the coming days and weeks.
We are also informing you that during the interim period of time until we name Mr. Ulbrich's successor, Mike Hudak will be named as the Interim Principal of North High School. We have the fullest faith and confidence that Mr. Hudak will perform the duties of Interim Principal successfully, and District Administration and the Board will provide the support to make this transition a smooth one.
Thank you again for all that you do."