BARDSTOWN, Ky. — Some Nelson County teachers, students and parents are not happy with the Nelson County Board of Education's decision to remove Superintendent Wes Bradley.
A group gathered outside the Old Courthouse in downtown Bardstown during rush hour of honking cars to share their support for Bradley.
Signs read "We Support Wes," "Save our Students," and "United with Educators."
In a 4-1 vote Monday, the board voted to remove Bradley from his position.
Kaitlyn Jaggers, a kindergarten teacher at Foster Heights Elementary School, was one of the people holding signs and chanting "we love Wes Bradley" on Wednesday.
She told WHAS11 that her drive to work every day is just under an hour.
"The commute is not the best," Jaggers said. "But I just love the leadership and I love our vision for the students and how we always put students first. A lot of that leadership stems from Wes Bradley. He's definitely one of the reasons I make this drive every day."
She recalled hearing Monday's decision, saying it hit close to home.
"I knew that the decision, if it was against [Bradley], that I would be upset," Jaggers said. "But, I did not know much it would upset me. I was in literal tears. He's always been nothing but kind to me and my kids, he's supportive and knows me by name."
Principal of Thomas Nelson High School Curt Merrifield said he was at the protest Wednesday on behalf of all the county principals.
Shortly after the board's decision Monday, all 11 Nelson County principals released a joint statement backing Bradley as superintendent.
Can't read the letters? Click here.
"We felt it was important for the community to know our stance and to also know that we are still a united front in the vision of Nelson County schools," Merrifield.
Using a New York Times tool, WHAS11's Ian Hardwitt compared state data of Nelson County Schools against nearby school districts. Nelson County is about a year's worth of learning behind bordering counties.
Merrifield, on the other hand, says he's seen growth across the district.
"We know that education is changing, the needs of students in the 21st century is changing as well," he said. "The skills that they need to be successful in life. Sometimes when you have a progressive vision towards the future, you're going to meet resistance with the status quo. He's never been bashful about that."
Foster Heights Elementary School 2nd Grade Teacher Sarah Childers said Nelson County started the Leadership Institute, which pushed her to become a teacher.
"He looks out for everyone and accepts people from different backgrounds," Childers said. "A lot of people, when I told them I was going into education, was like 'but you don't have an education background.' But he was very accepting, saying everyone has gifts and everyone brings their gifts to the table."
While the protest lasted about an hour Wednesday, those there said the work is far from over.
"We didn't want to call out during school because we didn't want students to miss instruction, so we decided to do it after school. I would love to go to the state and do more protesting but we'll see," Childers said.
If Bradley's removal is approved by the department of education, the Nelson County Board of Education will appoint an interim superintendent.
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