Northwest High School’s Principal Is on Leave. The Letter Home Does Not Say Why.

Northwest High School principal Scott Smith is on leave, and assistant principal Danielle Abdelsalam is serving as acting principal in his place, according to a letter sent to the Germantown school’s community on Wednesday afternoon.

The letter is signed by David Chia, who signs as director of the Division of School Leadership and Improvement for Northern Region 6, covering the Seneca Valley and Northwest clusters. It is dated October 14, 2026 and carries MCPS letterhead.

“I am writing to let you know that Mr. Scott Smith is currently on leave,” Chia wrote. “At this time, assistant principal Mrs. Danielle Abdelsalam will serve as the acting principal. Under her leadership, we are confident that the operations of the school and instructional program will remain strong during Mr. Smith’s absence.”

The letter does not say why Smith is on leave, and it does not say how long the leave will last. On both points it says only that the district will share more later: “We are committed to sharing more information regarding the length of Mr. Smith’s absence when available.”

Chia told families he would be at the school himself. “As the Director who supervises and supports Northwest High School, I will be a consistent presence at the school to support Mrs. Abdelsalam, the administrative team, the staff and students,” he wrote. The letter directs questions to Chia at David_T_Chia@mcpsmd.org or to Abdelsalam at Danielle_M_Abdelsalam@mcpsmd.org.

Smith has led Northwest since 2021. The Board of Education appointed him in July of that year, replacing James D’Andrea, as Bethesda Magazine reported at the time; he had then worked for MCPS for 15 years. He remains listed as principal on the school’s MCPS page.

Northwest High School is at 13501 Richter Farm Road in Germantown. Its main number is 240-740-7100.

Moderately MOCO has contacted MCPS for more information. This story will be updated.

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