Jodi Harding, a candidate running for a seat on the Forest Hills Schools Board of Education, has dropped out of the race after two reported incidents involving underage drinking at her home were brought to light.
On Thursday, Harding announced on social media she was suspending her campaign, citing pressure on her family.
"It has become clear that pursuing this role has had a negative impact on my family," she said in a statement. "That is not a sacrifice I am willing to make — my family is my first priority."
Records from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office show deputies were called to Harding's home in Anderson Township twice for noise complaints and to break up parties with alleged underage drinking in Nov. 2024 and April 2025.
Though school board races in Ohio are nonpartisan, Harding was one of three candidates for the Forest Hills School Board endorsed by the Hamilton County GOP.
Before she officially dropped out, Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair Alex Linser released a statement questioning Harding's character.
"If Jodi Harding cannot ensure the safety of the children under her own roof, how can she be trusted to safeguard the children of Forest Hills?" a portion of Linser's statement read.
Pass issues on the Board
Partisan politics and culture war issues have defined the Forest Hills School Board over the past several years, turning many Board meetings into shouting matches between members, parents, and community members over topics related to DEI initiatives and President Donald Trump.
In 2021, four politically conservative candidates won all the open seats on the school board, running on an anti-Critical Race Theory platform.
Soon after the four new members were sworn in, the Board voted in 2022 to end an event known as "Diversity Day," which highlighted cultural and racial issues for junior and senior students. The Board then passed its "Culture of Kindness" resolution, which banned the school district from giving students assignments where they had to consider their race, socioeconomic class, religion, gender identity, or sexuality. The resolution was later rescinded after a group of parents filed a federal lawsuit against the Board of Education, saying it violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
In 2023, the two left-leaning candidates were elected to the Board, joining the four conservative members already in place.
Since then, one of those conservative members moved out of the district and resigned. The other three did not enter the 2025 race.
Harding's exit leaves five candidates remaining in the race for three Forest Hills School Board seats. Two of those candidates, Mark Bell and Forest Heis, have been endorsed by the Hamilton County GOP. The other three, Jeff Nye, Erin Walczewski, and Jeremy Ward have been endorsed by the Hamilton County Democratic Party.
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