One of the country’s largest school districts was forced to close for the fourth time in two weeks March 12 as about a third of its teachers called in sick so they could keep protesting at the Kentucky Capitol.
Officials in the Jefferson County school district, which includes Louisville and has more than 98,000 students, had hoped to avoid another closure by sending a delegation of teachers to Frankfort to represent the district. But shortly after 7 p.m. on March 11, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin posted a video on his Twitter page with the caption “SICK OF ‘SICKOUTS,’ ” where he accused teachers of “walking out on students.”
Three hours later, the district announced it would close because it did not have enough substitutes to cover for absent teachers, a move that also forced the postponement of ACT testing for about 6,000 juniors. Some teachers at the Capitol said Bevin’s tweet did not influence their decision.
