(The Center Square) – One day after more than a dozen Kentucky state lawmakers called on Jefferson County Public Schools chief equity officer to resign after making what they called “an outrageously inflammatory” social media post, supporters of John Marshall responded and urged him not to step down.
Earlier this week, Marshall, who is Black, posted on his personal X page he received calls from Black students and young professionals asking about the “strategy moving forward.”
“My response, ‘REGARDLESS of the rooms, meetings, classes, etc., you’re in, know THE MAJORITY of whites could care less about you & have no issues harming you or yours,’” Marshall’s post concluded.
Those comments drew a response from 14 Republican state lawmakers or those recently elected who represent the state’s largest county. They said that his most recent statement was not his only “divisive” social media post.
The letter was signed by state Reps. Jared Bauman, Kevin Bratcher, Emily Callaway, Ken Fleming, John Hodgson, Jason Nemes and Susan Tyler Witten, along with state Sens. Julie Raque-Adams, Lindsey Tichenor, Matt Deneen, Mike Nemes and Adrienne Southworth. State Rep.-elect Chris Lewis and state Sen.-elect Aaron Reed also signed the statement calling for Marshall’s resignation.
“As an officer of the government, speaking in an official capacity at taxpayer expense, such reckless speech inciting hatred based on skin color should be grounds for immediate termination,” the GOP lawmakers wrote. “In the current heated political climate of America, it is absolutely unacceptable for a senior JCPS leader to stoke the fires of hatred and division rather than set an example of bringing students together in peace.”
Should Marshall not step down, the lawmakers called on the JCPS Board of Education or Superintendent Marty Pollio to fire him.
JCPS issued a statement saying Marshall did not write the post on “behalf of his employer.”
On Thursday, Marshall’s supporters responded to the lawmakers’ call, saying the JCPS official plays a vital role in the fight against racism.
“This is what they try to do to Black men in KY who TELL THE TRUTH! This is why so many Blacks here cower and live in fear! Don’t YOU bow!” posted Dr. Ricky L. Jones, a professor of Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville, on his X account.
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, a social justice group, created a petition online urging residents to email state lawmakers and JCPS Board members. As of Friday morning, more than 250 people voiced their support for Marshall.
Republicans, who hold four-fifths of the seats in both General Assembly chambers, have been critical of JCPS for years, arguing that it has too many administrative positions that take away funding for education. Lawmakers also ripped the district a year ago after a bussing plan failed and forced JCPS to cancel school for six days while leaders revised the plan.
Earlier this year, GOP lawmakers floated the idea of splitting the district that educates roughly 96,000 students, making it one of the 30 largest in the nation.
