LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) board member Chris Kolb announced his resignation as vice-chair of the board following a Twitter exchange with a Kentucky legislator Tuesday.
State Senator Whitney Westerfield tweeted that it was "frustrating" to see Beshear sign an executive order mandating masks inside all K-12 schools, preschools and child care centers.
"Did anyone even speak at all to the psychological and educational harm to students wearing masks all day? I sure didn’t catch it if they did," Westerfield said. "So frustrating."
In a reply, Kolb tweeted, "F*** you."
Westerfield subsequently blocked the JCPS board member. Kolb then tweeted a screenshot of Westerfield's blocked Twitter page and said, "I thought conservatives didn’t like people to be snowflakes…"
Kolb is the elected board member for District 2 and has been vocal about his support for masking and COVID-19 safety protocols. He said has no plans of resigning from the school board entirely, but voluntarily stepped down from his leadership position. He said many reasons went into his decision.
"To clarify, as a school board member the only people I work for are the voters of district two," Kolb said in a Tweet. "I don't work for JCPS. I don't work for the board chair. D2 voters can re-hire or fire me every four years. Democracy and free speech still mean at least a little in the U.S."
He is up for reelection to the board in 2024.
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