WASHINGTON -- The Virginia high school principal catapulted into the national spotlight because of her suspension of the now-famous "Banana Man" student resigned Tuesday night during a closed session of the Stafford County School Board. As WTOP reports, the board unanimously accepted Karen Spillman's resignation, but Superintendent Randy Bridges wouldn't say if Spillman, who had been on the job at Colonial Forge High School as principal for less than two months, resigned because of the incident, according to the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg.
The Banana Man saga started when 14-year-old Bryan Thompson, was suspended after running out on a football field on Sept. 16 dressed in a banana costume. Spillman recommended that Thompson be kicked out of school for the rest of the year, saying that he had been disrespectful to a school administrator and violated student code of conduct. Thompson's stunt, where he was handcuffed by police, was captured on video and his suspension became a cause célèbre of sorts across the Internet -- even WRC-TV's Pat Collins featured Thompson's case in a recent newscast while dressed in a grape costume.
The American Civil Liberties Union got involved in the case when school officials told students to remove "Free Banana Man" T-shirts they wore at school to protest the suspension of Thompson, who has Asperger's syndrome. The ACLU said that the school was infringing on student free speech with the T-shirt crackdown. Bridges later apologized.
Thompson's suspension was lifted Friday and he returned to school on Monday.
WATCH: Bryan Thompson's 'Banana Man' Stunt
WATCH: Colonial Forge High School's 'Banana Man'