LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- About half the staff at Louisville's Knight Middle School called out sick Thursday, in part due to the naming of its new principal.

"We're calling out sick because we need our voices heard," said Knight Middle School resource teacher Stephanie Mack. 

Staff called it a "sick out."

JCPS spokesperson Mark Hebert told WDRB instruction took place, along with other activities. Hebert also said the district made sure Knight had staffing it needed.

The strike out comes one day after the district named Christel Lanier Knight Middle School's new principal. According to the district's public announcement, Lanier began her administrative career at Knight Middle School as an assistant principal in 2010. She has also served as assistant principal at Highland, Ramsey and Farnsley middle schools.

Mack said the "sick out," had less to do with who was picked, and more with who was not picked, and staff consideration not included in the hiring process.

"We we have a leader in our school that we think is extremely competent, she's, she's wonderful, she loves our children, she loves our students, she knows our students, she knows them very well, we trust her," Mack said about the internal candidate she preferred to see become principal. "She's a very good transformational leader in her role right now. But she's been overlooked several times. And there's been no rhyme there's the no reason."

"We didn't get a voice in in whether or not she will become our principal, and we want to make sure that we're not continuously being overlooked from being on committees and being asked to have a voice in who we would have leading us," Mack said. 

According to Brent McKim, the president of the Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA), while teachers were able to provide input on the desired qualifications, he said they were not consulted about individual candidates.

The principal hiring was the "straw that broke the camel's back" for the group of Knight Middle School teachers, according to Mack.

Mack said they're already frustrated by an ongoing shortage of substitutes that means they fill-in for absences and often miss their daily planning periods. Mack also mentioned students becoming disruptive as an ongoing problem.

"We just want to make it loud and clear, make it known loud and clear that we are we are not calling out sick, because someone didn't get hired, we're calling out sick because we're sick. We're calling out sick, because we need our voices heard. We're calling out sick because we have opinions. And we have the right to be able to come into a building where it's safe," Mack said.

As for criticism received for teachers calling out sick, McKim said it was a thought out decision.

"It wasn't something that we just did to have a day off, we literally used this day and this time to plan and to think about how we wanted to write out the things that we wanted to be heard and the things that we wanted to change," Mack said.

In a document expected to be sent to administrators, teachers wrote out their request long-term demands:

  • Maximum time teachers can cover other classes is no more than 90 minutes a week, it is the district's job to supply resources so teachers can have planning period

  • Meet once a month with Asst. Superintendent of Middle Schools to voice concerns, problem solve

  • Administration hiring process for AIS school needs to include teacher voice in a “formal and empowered  process”

As for staffing on Thursday, a Knight Middle School teacher who asked to stay anonymous said there was likely less than a dozen adults inside the building. The teacher also said the middle school receives no substitute teachers when staff calls out sick and that district administrators had to come in Thursday midday to help cover the shortage.

"From what I did hear on that part was that for one teacher, or per teacher, they had about 70 something students," Mack said.

Mack and other teachers that spoke to WDRB did not answer if another "sick out" will happen Friday.

The Knight Middle School webpage on Thursday showed 39 teaching positions at the school, with four vacancies.

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