Vilified Olentangy principal message was about America values not Trump

Monica Asher didn’t stand on the street corner waving a “I hate Donald Trump” sign.
The Olentangy Orange High School principal also did not praise Vice President Kamala Harris.
After one of the weirdest and nastiest elections in modern American history, Asher wrote a message about values after “seeing pain, uncertainty and division” in her school.
“I can’t write a message that pretends like the election didn’t happen; especially when so many of you are struggling with how to move forward,” Asher wrote as part of a newsletter sent to school staff Sunday. “I know you are struggling with how to move forward with your students who are afraid, but also how to move forward with colleagues that don’t share your views.”
Around 44% of Ohio voters did not vote for Trump, so it reasons that many receiving Asher’s newsletter do not support his world view. Harris received 46% of the vote in Delaware County, where the bulk of Olentangy Local School District is located, and 63% in Franklin County where a small portion lies.
Yes, Asher probably intended to comfort and encourage the many afraid that president-elect Donald Trump will for the first time be a man of his word. No, she did not slam anyone who voted for Trump.
What she did was lead with compassion.
“Know that Orange will continue to be a place where students, all students, find safety. It will continue to be a place that not only values diversity, but celebrates it,” she wrote as part of the newsletter. “Orange will continue to be a place where showing compassion and respect to those around us is a priority, where we recognize the humanity, dignity, and worth in every person we meet.”
For her efforts, Asher has been villainized and now finds herself on forced administrative leave.
“This woman needs to be fired! Her salary gets paid by the taxpayer and they’re not all crazy liberals! This needs to go viral so everybody can see what their children are facing! This coming from the high school in the area that we lived for 25 years. This is despicable,” one user of X – the social platform formerly known as Twitter wrote.
The election was contentious with high energy and hard feelings from people on both sides of the political divide.
The disgusting nature of politics aside, what exactly did Asher write that was out of line?
That students should feel safe in school no matter what? There are many reasons many students don’t, but don’t we all agree that kids should be safe in school? Do those who object want to harm kids – any kids? What a sad story that says about them.
That diversity should be celebrated? Weren’t we taught that diversity — all kinds — was an American strength? Do Asher’s new found critics want a segregated society? Hmm.
That compassion and respect are good things? Aren’t we supposed to be doing unto others as we would have them do unto us? Are disrespect and contempt preferred?
That we should strive to see the humanity, dignity, and worth in every person we meet? Yep, lock her up.
Where is any of that partisan? Republicans, independents and Democrats should all want kids to feel safe, welcomed and valued, right?
Asher conjured up imagery of storms and buffalo, an America symbol of freedom, in the ending of her short message.
“The buffalo’s resilience, unity and strength is drawn from working as a collective. By working together, we can also face any challenge,” she writes in part. “We can support one another and create an environment where both we and our students can thrive.”
The controversy around Monica Asher’s innocuous message speaks volumes about the sad place we find ourselves at as a nation.
Her views were written after Trump’s victory but are not liberal or conservative.
I think they are American values. I don’t want to be wrong.