Editor’s note: A previous version of this article attributed information from New Albany Parent Nicole Stetson to another parent. The article has been updated to accurately reflect Stetson as the speaker.
Parents at New Albany-Plain Middle School have hired an attorney and are demanding answers after they say the school’s beloved theater director was forced to resign as a result of pressure from a city council member.
New Albany Middle School theater director Melissa Gould resigned May 8. Parents said Gould was forced to resign after a New Albany city council member who has children in the district made complaints about her to district administration.
At a June 8 school board meeting, dozens of New Albany Middle School parents and students questioned why Gould resigned and shared how she helped them during their time in the program. Many of them also demanded accountability and transparency from the district.
Parents also plan to speak out at the June 16 New Albany City Council meeting.
A spokesperson for New Albany-Plain Schools declined to comment on personnel matters, but said the situation is being investigated by the board. Gould did not return requests for comment.
Gould’s personnel file 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 The Dispatch obtained via a public records request 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 that she didn’t want to focus on herself but was heartbroken for the students who have had their theater experience impacted by her departure.
“I’m devastated for the children and I’m devastated for the families that this thing took place, they’ve taken away the program they’ve been enjoying and thriving in for nine years,” Gould said.
Greg Vincent, the attorney retained by NAPLS families, told The Dispatch that Gould had rescinded her resignation and it was clear that “it was a forced resignation.” Vincent has sent the district a legal request to hold all documentation related to her resignation.
“I have really been focusing on the concerns about the fairness issue and just the impact that this teachers had on the school community and particularly the theater students,” Vincent said.
Parents express shock, concern with theater director’s ‘forced resignation’
Nicole Stetson, a parent of a New Albany-Plain middle schooler, said Gould created a culture of excellence in the program, which included traveling annually to Atlanta to participate in the international Junior Theater Festival.
“She also created this environment where these kids are a family,” Stetson told the Dispatch. “This is their group of friends – this is their family.”
Rachael Leavitt, a parent of a New Albany-Plain middle schooler, said nobody understood why Gould was resigning. After she announced her resignation, around 100 people showed up to Gould’s house on Mother’s Day and sang a song from “Wicked” to her.
After seeing the support from the community, Gould said she attempted to rescind her resignation but the district told her she was welcome to reapply for the job but would not be reconsidered. She said she was overwhelmed by the support she has received from the community.
“I do this program because I love these kids, I love theater and I love the performing arts,” Gould said.
When they found out she had been forced to resign, Stetson said she was shocked by the the news. She said members of the community sent letters of support for Gould and received a “copy-past HR response” from the district. She said it is clear the district is moving forward with plans to replace her.
“They’re not hearing parents when we say ‘Stop. Pause. Talk to us,'” Stetson said. “They have no intention of being responsive or listening to our concerns.”
Leavitt said she believed New Albany City Council Member Andrea Wiltrout is behind the forced resignation, saying she had led a campaign to get Gould removed from her position.
Wiltrout said in a statement that as a mother of three students in the district, she “had concerns about behaviors I witnessed concerning Melissa Gould.”
“I reported those through the appropriate channels within the district,” Wiltrout said in a statement. “In doing so, I was exercising my rights as a district parent.”
The statement did not include any information on what those behaviors were.
Leavitt said Wiltrout called her the day before the June 8 school board meeting and tried to discourage her from speaking in support of Gould. Leavitt also provided multiple testimonies from other parents saying Wiltrout had contacted them to share her dissatisfaction with Gould.
Stetson said that “it’s going to take a long time” to rebuild trust in the theater program and school administration.
“And whoever takes over that job is going to have an uphill climb for several years, while the people who are a part of it now cycle through,” Stetson said.
Gould said she plans to launch a new community performing arts program next month that “that will serve kids from all over central Ohio.”
“I’m building something new, and I can’t wait for the community to hear what it is,” Gould said.
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: New Albany families rally for theater head after ‘forced resignation’
Reporting by Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
