By Claire Hamlet
Lizzy Braman, the woman who sparked the debate in Lexington City Schools over book banning last fall, has resigned from her teaching job at Harrington Waddell Elementary School.
Parents were notified on Jan. 31 that Braman, who taught fourth grade, wasn’t coming back after she had initially requested a month-long leave of absence.
“I am writing to let you know that Mrs. Braman has made the decision not to return to Waddell for the remainder of the school year,” Principal Kimberly Troise wrote in a letter to parents. “We are sorry to see her leave, and I certainly understand the disappointment you and your child may feel as a result of this news.”
“Someone who is not a certified teacher cannot and should not be expected to be an experienced classroom manager,” Meghan Ferguson said.
On Sept. 8, Braman sent a letter to parents and the Lexington school board that sought the removal of a book, “Kiss Number 8,” from the shelves of Lylburn Downing Middle School’s library. The book is about a girl who realizes she is bisexual. Braman said the book was anti-Christian and inappropriate for children because of sexually explicit content.
Parents and community members packed a school board meeting in October to debate the book in particular and policies that could be used to ban other books.
In the immediate aftermath of receiving Braman’s letter, the school district removed “Kiss Number 8” and several other books from Lylburn Downing’s library shelves. In December, the school board adopted a policy that formalized procedures to seek removal of a book.
Efforts to reach Braman for comment were unsuccessful. No one answered the door at her house, and her husband did not return phone calls or texts. Braman did not respond to multiple emails.
Impact of Braman’s departure
Braman’s abrupt departure disrupted all three of Waddell’s fourth-grade classes because her absence meant that the other teachers had to share her workload. Her 22 students will be reassigned to the other two fourth-grade teachers. Their class sizes will each increase to more than 30 children.
Parents and students are upset.
“The guidance counselor had to come in because students thought it was their fault,” parent Meghan Ferguson said in an interview.
Braman’s departure also sent school district administrators scrambling to find a substitute teacher for the remainder of the year. Initially, they had hired Mark Sterling, a retired fifth grade teacher, to cover for Braman during her leave of absence, which was supposed to be from Jan. 2 to Feb. 2.
But her decision to leave permanently put strain on the school district’s budget. Normally, the district budgets for two long-term substitutes. A long-term substitute fills in on a fulltime basis for teachers who are out of work because of pregnancies, long-term illnesses or other reasons.
Superintendent Rebecca Walters told the school board on Feb. 6 the district had already exhausted its long-term substitute budget. She said that five teachers, including one who had died, had had to be replaced.
“We just can’t predict for long-term leave,” Walters said in an interview.
Parents’ reactions
Parent Katie Masey said she is angry with school administrators over how they handled Braman’s departure. “Our students are heartbroken and anxious,” she said. “A healthy goodbye is necessary and has not been allowed.”
Masey said she asked administrators several times for communication between Braman and the children to “help students process and navigate the difficult emotions they’re experiencing.”
She said her requests were ignored.
Masey described Braman as a great teacher. “I think she is the most incredible, one of those teachers you only get once in your life. She loved the kids like her own. The kids loved her,” she said.
Background
Last fall, Braman told the Rockbridge Report that she felt strongly about not just “Kiss Number 8” but other books that were kept on the shelves at the middle school library. “I can’t be involved in a school system that’s providing that kind of thing to children,” she said in the interview.
Walters said Braman had told administrators essentially the same thing.
Sterling served as the substitute teacher until Feb. 2. He was replaced by Jennifer Bushnell.
At the Feb. 6 school board meeting, parents expressed concerns because Bushnell does not have a teacher’s license. In Virginia, substitute teachers don’t need a license. They only need to be 18 and have earned a high school diploma or a GED.
“Someone who is not a certified teacher cannot and should not be expected to be an experienced classroom manager,” Ferguson said at the meeting.
Bushnell taught the class for one week.
She was replaced by Barb Radebaugh, who is also uncertified and taught the students only for the week of Feb. 12.
Starting on Feb. 20, the children will be divided up among the other two fourth-grade classes.