Columbia HS Principal Reinstated After Charges Dropped

Frank Sanchez has been reinstated as principal at Columbia High School after a grand jury declined to indict him on charges of child endangerment.

Sanchez was reinstated at a South Orange-Maplewood School District Board of Education meeting on Thursday, June 27, on a 6-1 vote, with two board members abstaining.

The charges against Sanchez stem from an incident involving a student in January at the school in the district, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. The simple assault charges were referred to Maplewood Municipal Court, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.

Sanchez was initially suspended from his job last March when the original charges were filed. Sanchez has been principal at the school since June 2020 after previously serving as a high school principal in Mountain Lakes, according to his Linkedin.

An e-mail was sent to the South Orange-Maplewood School District requesting comment.