Kentucky’s 2024 High School Teacher of the Year Kumar Rashad has been reassigned to noninstructional duties.
Rashad was named Kentucky’s high school teacher of the year earlier this fall. He is a longtime educator in Jefferson County Public Schools and was most recently teaching at Breckinridge Metropolitan High School, an alternative school that serves students who are involved in the criminal justice system.
Rashad also serves as the District 3 representative for Louisville Metro Council, and is running for vice president of the Jefferson County Teachers Association.
Rashad has been outspoken in his career about making education more inclusive of Black students and Black history. He teaches math and “Black Historical Consciousness” and was featured in Louisville Public Media’s 2022 radio documentary “A Critical Moment.”
Rashad declined a request for comment. The district confirmed he had been reassigned but would not provide more information.
Reassignments to noninstructional positions are often associated with a pending investigation or disciplinary action.
Rashad has been disciplined before. He faced reprimand over a 2018 email he sent to then-Commissioner of Education Wayne Lewis taking issue with the former commissioner’s views on charter schools.
Rashad agreed to professionalism training at the end of an investigation by JCPS and the state Education Professional Standards Board.