Washington Elementary School’s Principal Arielle Curry is “grateful to be back” at the campus after an eight-day administrative leave, she told the school community last week.

Curry was placed on leave by the Santa Barbara Unified School District in late September related to student council elections at the elementary school.

Her child who attends the school was runner-up for president in a student election but was chosen as the winner instead of the child who received the most votes.

Post-election “deliberations” led by Curry “resulted in overriding the outcome of two positions: the president and one additional position,” she said in a message sent out to families last week.

She did not specify exactly why the runner-ups were chosen rather than the top vote-getters in these two instances.

A district spokesperson did not respond to a Noozhawk request for comment about whether it was typical for student votes to be deliberated after the election had wrapped up.

Curry said the students and families “directly affected” by the election will “receive appropriate communication and support as that work is completed.”

Curry said the school’s process for “selecting student officers lacks transparency and fairness” and she does “take responsibility for that.”

“I will lead an effort to institute the changes necessary to improve this process,” she wrote.

“As I return, my focus is on our students and on moving forward together as a school community. Our children benefit most when the adults around them model professionalism, respect, good judgment, accountability, and the ability to work through difficult situations constructively. I am committed to modeling those expectations in my own leadership.”

The district spokesperson initially confirmed to Noozhawk that Curry was on administrative leave, but declined to share the reason.

Executive Director of Elementary Education Denise Alvarado oversaw daily operations while Curry was on leave.

Curry returned on Friday to the school, which is located in Santa Barbara’s Mesa community, a Santa Barbara Unified School District spokesperson confirmed.

“Seeing the smiling faces of our Wildcats was truly special and it’s a wonderful reminder of why we love our school community so much,” she wrote Sunday.

Curry previously served as the principal at Santa Barbara Junior High School.

Sonia Wilson and John Becchio, district assistant superintendents, said the school will focus on “supporting students and staff, strengthening relationships, and rebuilding trust” moving forward.

They also threw their support behind Curry.

“We are confident that Ms. Curry can lead this work with the school community and continue to provide an exceptional experience for students, families, and staff at Washington Elementary,” they wrote in a message to school families.

As the news of the reasons for Curry’s leave and subsequent return spread, some, like Natasha St. Clair, vice president of the school’s Parent Teacher Organization, urged the community to focus on the school’s children.

In an opinion piece in EdHat Monday morning, she also pushed back on national headlines that called the school “posh” and wrote that 40% of the school’s students are socioeconomically disadvantaged.