A Howard County high school principal is on “extended leave” from the school after an “emotional interaction” with students in the cafeteria, according to district officials.

The exchange between Atholton High School Principal Nick Novak and a group of students took place in April, Howard County Public Schools spokesperson Brian Bassett said in an email. A video of the interaction was recorded, according to school officials.

“It is extremely disappointing that the circumstances escalated to the point captured in the video,” Bassett said.

WMAR aired what appears to be an edited video of the incident, which the news station said began with Novak accusing students of throwing food. The video appears to show the principal in a heated exchange with a group of students as he wipes down a cafeteria table and then throwing wet paper at some students, amid laughing and yelling. Students told WMAR that the paper was homework and that they were troubled by the principal’s conduct.

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The Banner has not independently verified the video.

Novak, who has led Atholton High in Columbia since the 2023-24 academic year, is “currently on assignment” and is not returning to the high school before the end of the school year.

He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Novak started his education career as an English teacher at River Hill High School before becoming an assistant principal at the Clarksville school. He went on to be an assistant principal at Glenelg High before returning to lead River Hill from 2009 to 2015, and then Howard High until 2023.

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According to his official school system bio, Novak is in his 26th year in the school district. His bio says his “passion for technology, student leadership and building a collaborative school community” have earned him various accolades, including “Best Principal” by Howard magazine and “State Principal of the Year” by the Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals.

Christine Schmidt, who joined Atholton in January as an assistant principal, will fill the acting principal role, according to a letter to the school community. Clovis Thomas will serve as a substitute assistant principal for the remainder of the school year.

“We are confident that the administrators and staff at the school will work to maintain a healthy and supportive learning environment for all students for the remainder of the school year,” Bassett said.