Elizabeth Sholar
Introduction
Elizabeth Sholar is an educator who has taught at Forest Hill Community Learning Center in the Akron Public Schools district in Akron, Ohio, since joining the district in August 2021. On September 14, 2026, the Akron Board of Education unanimously approved Resolution 26-149 stating its intention to consider terminating her contract over accusations of inappropriate testing practices connected to the state fourth-grade math test given in April 2026, and she was suspended without pay immediately. The accusations are allegations set out in the board’s resolution: Sholar has not been criminally charged, nothing has been adjudicated in court, and the sources on record include no public response from her.
Background Information
Public reporting records little about Sholar beyond her district role. She was first hired by Akron Public Schools for the 2021-22 school year, starting in August 2021, and worked at Forest Hill Community Learning Center. The case against her emerged in September 2026, when the board met for a nearly two-hour closed-door executive session before voting. It approved three separate resolutions naming three employees accused of wrongdoing in unrelated incidents: Sholar; Crystal Kouns, a teacher at Ellet Community Learning Center; and Timothy Patrick, a commanding officer for the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at East Community Learning Center. According to Signal Akron, each of the three allegedly violated board policies and district guidelines during the 2025-26 school year.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from the Akron Board of Education’s Resolution 26-149, which the board passed unanimously on September 14, 2026. They were never admitted by Sholar, never criminally charged, and never adjudicated in court.
The board accused Sholar of inappropriate testing practices that it said could have influenced students’ responses on the state fourth grade math test given in April 2026. According to the resolution, she:
- Provided hints, asked leading questions and used hand gestures to indicate to students when they marked an incorrect test answer;
- Helped some students with responding to multiple test questions;
- Instructed a student on how to handle fractions when responding to a question on the test; and
- Told a student they had a wrong answer and instructed the student to look at the answer before it was submitted.
Signal Akron reported the allegations as concerning the Fourth Grade Ohio State Test administered April 21. It stated that, according to the district, Sholar reportedly gave students hints to indicate their answers were incorrect, helped some students respond to test questions, pointed to specific answers or errors in students’ work, wrote on a student’s paper about fractions, discussed test questions with students, and reviewed a test for errors before it was submitted. The outlet also reported it was unclear whether the test scores involved had impacted any of the state report card data released the following Tuesday.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The board’s action placed Sholar and the two other employees on unpaid suspension and recommended their termination. Pat Shipe, president of the Akron Education Association, said the union would meet with its three members to review their options and take further action in the next 10 days. “Any employee of Akron Public Schools, whether in our bargaining unit or not, has the right to due process under disciplinary matters,” she said. “The three employees referenced in the resolutions the board passed last night are all members of AEA and now have 10 days to respond to the board how they wish to proceed.” The Akron Beacon Journal reported that Shipe could not be reached for comment on September 14, and neither outlet recorded a public response from Sholar herself. Signal Akron added that Akron Public Schools did not respond to additional follow-up questions by its Tuesday deadline.
Current Status
Under Ohio law, the board cannot proceed with formally terminating an employee’s contract until 10 days after the employee is notified about its intent to terminate. Within those 10 days, the employee has the right to appeal by requesting in writing a hearing before the school board or before a referee. As of the most recent reporting, it was unclear whether Sholar planned to appeal. Her unpaid suspension remained in effect, and no final termination decision, hearing request, or resolution of the allegations had been reported. No criminal charge has been reported in connection with the testing allegations, and the matter remains unadjudicated.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The board vote immediately jeopardized Sholar’s position with Akron Public Schools. The unpaid suspension cut off her salary while the process ran, and formal termination at the end of the 10-day notification period would end her employment with the district. The allegations — that she undermined the administration of a standardized state test taken by her students — were reported by the Akron Beacon Journal and Signal Akron, which named her alongside the two other educators facing dismissal that evening. As of the latest reporting, her employment status had not been finally resolved, the allegations had been neither proven nor disproven in any forum, and she had made no public statement on record. She is presumed innocent of any wrongdoing.