Schools transitioned them from face-to-face to distance education to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Principals faced extraordinary crises. Transitional management processes to distance education and outcomes are viewed from the perspective of 15 school principals of K-12 schools, selected through convenience sampling, within a qualitative research and single study design. Content analysis was used to analyze principals' responses. The themes and patterns that emerged were matched to the research aims, and a data-driven approach was used to interpret the results. The researchers generated and coded themes, which revealed that K-12 school principals managed the transition process through the effective use of technology, but experienced stress under intense pressure. These findings suggest significant changes in management processes by principals during the pandemic, despite additional stress from parent indifference, teachers' limited technological knowledge, unpreparedness to manage the process at schools. Infrastructure and practice were key variables for effective transition.