An attorney representing New Albany Middle School families addressed New Albany City Council on June 16, demanding answers as to whether a council member exerted undue influence in forcing a teacher to resign.
At the meeting, Greg Vincent, an attorney representing hundreds of parents, students alumni and community members, said the city needed to ensure transparency “regarding decisions that affected students, families, volunteers, and the broader community.”
“Many families have expressed concern that certain complaints or viewpoints may have received greater consideration than the voices of hundreds of students, parents, volunteers, alumni, and community members who supported the program and sought its preservation,” Vincent said.
Vincent’s address to the council comes amid public scrutiny on the middle school after parents say theater director Melissa Gould was forced to resign after Andrea Wiltrout, a New Albany city council member who has children in the district, made complaints about her to district administration, The Dispatch exclusively reported June 16.
Vincent also said parents were concerned about communications among elected official and school officials, and “whether those communications influenced decisions affecting students and the theater program.”
“Whether these concerns are ultimately substantiated or not, they have created a perception problem that warrants independent review and public transparency,” Vincent said in an accompanying letter shared with the council.
Vincent said that parents expect the city to begin an independent review of the concerns and provide a report to the community before the next scheduled council meeting. Vincent told The Dispatch that the main concern is “pressure put on by an elected official” who also happened to be a parent.
“We expect transparency because it promotes public trust and we do hope to get a clear answer, an explanation of how these decisions were made,” Vincent said.
Members of council did not address the comments during the meeting. In a statement provided by the city of New Albany, a spokesperson said “this is a personnel matter involving the New Albany-Plain Local School District.”
“The City of New Albany respects the district’s process and will continue to do so,” the city statement said. “As such, the city defers comment on this matter to the district.”
Wiltrout previously told The Dispatch that she “had concerns about behaviors I witnessed concerning Melissa Gould.”
“I reported those through the appropriate channels within the district,” Wiltrout said in a June 15 statement. “In doing so, I was exercising my rights as a district parent.”
Deborah Cogan, a New Albany Resident, said during a public comment that she was totally neutral on the issues with the theater program but said she hopes people can reflect on how they handle disagreement.
“I think people should feel safe sharing their perspectives through the appropriate channels without fear of being publicly targeted or criticized,” Cogan said. “Healthy communities are not defined by the absence of disagreement, they are defined by how respectfully they navigate it.”
Theater director resignation sparks backlash in New Albany
Gould resigned from the New Albany Middle School theater program in early May. At a June 8 school board meeting, dozens of parents and students rallied in support of Gould and demanded answers from the school board as to why Gould had resigned.
A spokesperson for New Albany-Plain Schools declined to comment on personnel matters, but said the situation is being investigated by the board.
Parents expressed their shock and concern to The Dispatch, with some saying Wiltrout had orchestrated Gould’s resignation, potentially abusing her influence as a city council member.
Gould’s personnel file, obtained by The Dispatch, shows she was reprimanded by the district in March 2026 for failing to contact a parent of a student who was upset because of what another student had texted them during a field trip to Atlanta.
Records also show that Gould was instructed in late April to meet with administrators on May 1 to discuss her performance of her “job duties, including professional communication, program expenditures, and use of equipment/supplies.” The letter informed her that “disciplinary action up to and including termination” may result from the meeting.
It is not clear from the records what prompted the meeting.
Gould told The Dispatch she attempted to rescind her resignation after public support but the district told her she was welcome to reapply for the job but would not be reconsidered. She said that she is heartbroken for the students in the program but said she plans to launch a new community theater program next month.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Attorney demands New Albany review theater teacher’s forced resignation
Reporting by Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
