An Ohio guidance counselor is drawing backlash online after allegedly participating in a school’s anti–United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest.
The Ohio Press Network’s Jack Windsor shared an image from the Olentangy Local School District in Delaware County, which is roughly 30 miles north of Columbus. According to Windsor, Selena McKnight was among those who took part in a recent ICE walkout and held a sign reading, “You cannot love God and ICE.”
Windsor said that he spoke with parents who told him they felt the walkout “divided students & made several feel unsafe/uncomfortable.”
Neither McKnight nor the Olentangy Local School District had addressed the walkout as of Tuesday morning. McKnight could not be reached for comment.
Meet Olentangy guidance counselor Selena McKnight – she’s the one holding the “You cannot love God and ICE” sign at an ICE walkout. Parents: It divided students & made several feel unsafe/uncomfortable. #ICE #ICEOut #Ohio #Education pic.twitter.com/7ldy6nLkZS
— jackwindsor (@jackwindsor) February 16, 2026
Other signs included in the Olentangy anti-ICE protest included “Fight ignorance, not immigrants” and “Stop the violence,” with a stop sign in place of the word “stop.” Based on the image that Windsor shared on X, it is unclear whether any of the signs specifically referenced President Donald Trump or anyone in his administration, such as Vice President JD Vance or Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
An X user claiming to be an Olentangy parent shared a letter that families received from Olentangy High School Principal Nichole Crothers. The parent also claimed that McKnight is her child’s guidance counselor.
Crothers said the protest was student-led and was not “organized, sponsored, or sanctioned by the school.”
“While students have the right to engage in free speech, the school retains the right to issue discipline if the speech or expression is disruptive to the school’s educational mission,” Crothers wrote. It was unclear at publication whether any students had been disciplined.
Crothers added that parents have reached out and said their children have been bullied and harassed for either participating in the protest or electing not to partake. Students are encouraged to report those instances.
Disgraceful!!! She is my son’s counselor 🤦🏼♀️ (well, for now at least). Apparently kids could pick up protest signs from her office. And our principal sent out an email saying it was “student-led.” pic.twitter.com/4uFmygu6PX
— Jamie Rathbun (@jamierathbun) February 17, 2026
Schools have been a hotbed for anti-ICE protests in recent months, especially since Operation Metro Surge began in Minneapolis in December. The Chloe Day School & Wellness Center in Harlem, N.Y., went viral in late January after holding an anti-ICE protest in a kindergarten classroom. A school believed to be in Boston did something similar, with children walking around a room chanting “No Donald Trump” and holding homemade signs.
Additionally, some schools in Colorado needed to cancel classes during National Shutdown Day — a movement that called for Americans to forego working, attending school, and spending money on Friday, Jan. 30 — because they were understaffed. Teachers and staff instead planned to attend organized anti-Trump and anti-ICE protests.
Windsor also reported last week on anti-ICE protests featuring students in Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools, roughly 9 miles east of Columbus. According to Windsor, students who protested displayed anti-ICE and anti-Trump signs, with some signs also criticizing Trump’s supporters. The protests reportedly took place on school grounds during school hours.
Perhaps most concerningly, Windsor reported that parents allege that students who are not participating in the anti-ICE protests are being bullied as a result. Three of the parents later spoke with Libs of TikTok and relayed those same claims.
