NELSON COUNTY, Ky. — Upset parents, teachers, and students lined up in Bardstown Wednesday night, worried that Superintendent Wes Bradley was about to lose his job.
But, the Nelson County Schools Board of Education did not move to remove Bradley following a special meeting.
In a social media post, District 3 board member Tracy Bowling said the board is considering to dismiss Bradley. She said it comes after the board's attorney resigned in December.
While no board members explicitly said the executive session was to remove Bradley, the session was labeled as "related to the appointment or dismissal of an individual employed by the board."
"If you look at that agenda, the next discussion is for us to discuss personnel...and we know the only person we hire and let go is the superintendent," Bowling said pointedly to District 4 board member Amanda Deaton.
Bowling believes any attempt at removing Bradley would be a continued effort in "silencing those who are advocating for students in Nelson County."
"These people aren't here because they're being listened to, they're not here because they feel like their voices are being heard, they're here because we have ignored them," Bowling told WHAS11 after Wednesday night's meeting. "We're suppose to be hidden and letting the real people shine. I hope we get there."
A sentiment shared by Nelson County educators.
"Every single day, the six hours we have them, we're making sure things happen; it's the outside, the kind of meeting we had tonight and the politics around us, that then can get things cloudy," Trista Wheatley, an elementary school teacher at Foster Heights Elementary, said.
The tension has been apparent in Nelson County for over two years, as the school board has been considering the merger of two high schools. A controversial move that the superintendent does not support.
Wheatley is now calling on the Kentucky Department of Education and the Office of Education Accountability to step in and help facilitate.
“Bottom line is we feel like we’re out of options now – and we really need some outside help," Wheatley said. "Our community has shown up tonight, we have parents, community partners, educators – everyone is here saying we want something to happen. But it seems our hands keep getting tied."
Some students were left worrying about their future.
"As we're going right now, I'm really scared about what it's going to look like next year," Lilly Miller, a sophomore at Thomas Nelson High School, said.
The school board also voted 4-1 to appoint Jake Thompson as interim board attorney, following the resignation of the board's previous attorney just last Friday.
Bowling was the only "no" vote.
The board also issued a request for proposals to find a permanent attorney with the help of the Kentucky School Boards Association.
All other board members declined WHAS11 News' multiple requests for comment.
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