(Adam Beam/AP)Multiple school systems in Kentucky were forced to close Friday, as teacher absences soared amid growing protest over legislation that educators say would strike a blow to pension plans. The action in Kentucky came as the latest flash point over pay and benefits for the nation’s teachers. In Kentucky, the teacher absences touched off school closings in the state’s largest school systems, in Louisville and Lexington. Kentucky has 173 school systems, located in 120 counties. The state teachers’ union, the Kentucky Education Association, with a membership of 45,000, had not called on teachers to skip the workday but issued a sharply worded statement about the legislative action.

Source: Washington Post March 30, 2018 23:26 UTC