by , The Courier-Journal –

Gov. Matt Bevin on Wednesday blasted Jefferson County Public Schools for poor educational results in some of its schools, calling the state’s largest school district an “unmitigated disaster.”

Bevin, in a morning interview with conservative talk show host Leland Conway, said that “JCPS is a disaster in terms of the educational results. They have more failing schools than the entire rest of the state combined. It is an absolute, unmitigated disaster …”

He also took the JCPS board to task for passing a resolution on Tuesday that calls JCPS a safe haven for immigrant students and their families. Bevin said the resolution was illegal and “a smokescreen … a distraction from the fact the system is broken.”

Bevin did say JCPS has some schools that “are gems, some of the finest schools – arguably the finest schools in the state.” He said the district needs to focus on why some schools are so good, yet others have “failed generation after generation.”

“These are the things that JCPS needs to focus on, not trying to skirt the law to win kudos from their liberal friends,” Bevin said.

JCPS Superintendent Donna Hargens responded to Bevin’s comments, saying that “JCPS has many of the top schools in the state and it also has the challenges of educating students who come to school with a variety of social and emotional needs.” She said the district is proud of its inclusive and diverse learning environments.

“The doors of our schools are always open, and JCPS welcomes a collaborative and constructive conversation with Gov. Bevin about how we can continue boosting student achievement, not only in this district, but throughout our commonwealth,” Hargens said in a statement.

A JCPS spokeswoman said that Bevin has not visited any JCPS school since becoming governor.

Rob Mattheu, parent of a freshman at duPont Manual High and a frequent attendee at JCPS board meetings, said he was disgusted when he saw news reports of Bevin’s comments Wednesday.

“We all agree (JCPS) could be better,” Mattheu said. “But the way of fixing that is not just saying it’s a disaster. … You have to be a fair critic of what’s going on and understand the challenges they face.”

Mattheu said that he is tired of politicians and others “attacking JCPS with no real knowledge of the system.” He noted that JCPS has to educate every child that comes to it, regardless of their background. Mattheu invited Bevin to come talk to parents and teachers in Jefferson County to get a clearer understanding of the challenges the district faces.

Gay Adelmann, cofounder of the community group Dear JCPS, said there “absolutely” are problems with JCPS, and said that “district leaders most definitely need to be held more accountable.”

But, she said, “we don’t need state leaders who don’t understand the complexities of our district coming in and constantly dismantling things that are working, making change for the sake of change.”

Bevin’s comments about schools in JCPS that have failed “generation after generation” echoes sentiments made by Kentucky’s prior education commissioner Terry Holliday in 2013 when he derided the lack of progress at some JCPS schools as “academic genocide.” (Holliday in later months applauded gains made at some of those schools.)

Brent McKim, president of the county’s teachers union, said that JCPS faces “more challenges than any other Kentucky county,” but that JCPS has been improving “faster than the state in many ways.” He said JCPS parents and students need more support and resources from Bevin, “not criticism of the schools where educators are working their hearts out to help all their students succeed.”

He added that “the governor fully funding the (Kentucky) Teacher Retirement System helps us attract and retain good teachers.”

Sadiqa Reynolds, president and chief executive of the Louisville Urban League, said that people should stop “political grandstanding” and instead work together to focus resources on how to help children.

“The governor should be encouraging the school boards to get behind their leaders and execute a plan with equity and closing the achievement gap in mind,” Reynolds said in a statement.

She also said that “children benefit from being exposed to people who are different from them. Failing at this, we risk growing them into myopic tyrants who lead in ways that endanger us all.”

She said “we should be ashamed” that declaring schools to be safe havens is even a question.

The school board on Tuesday evening approved the safe haven resolution in a divided vote, with three of its seven members abstaining and four in support. The resolution says that JCPS will resist requests from federal immigration officials to share data or resources — unless compelled by a valid court order — that could help identify students or families who are potentially undocumented.

It states that JCPS employees, contractors, volunteers and others cannot disclose information about a student or family’s immigration status to Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a valid court order or permission from a parent or guardian. And, among other things, it says immigration enforcement personnel can’t be given access to JCPS campuses without the superintendent’s review and approval.

The resolution lays out what has already been district policy and practice. Board member Lisa Willner on Tuesday stressed that the board is “not advocating for disobeying federal law, state law, local law.”

Board chairman Chris Brady, who proposed the safe haven resolution, said it is meant to reassure students and families that JCPS is doing everything it can to provide a safe, welcoming environment that is conducive to learning.

Brady said Wednesday that he did not hear Bevin’s interview on the radio but said that “anyone can review the resolution and note that it adheres to the rule of law.”

Indeed, K-12 student information is already protected by federal and state privacy laws. In addition, public schools in the U.S. may not ask about the immigration or citizenship status of students to establish local residency, thanks largely to a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled that children are entitled to a free public education regardless of immigration status.

Board member Steph Horne abstained from the vote on the resolution Tuesday, saying that she had concerns that passing such language could cause unnecessary problems and draw ire from state and national leaders.

“Setting up our board of education as an antagonist against our governor and president is a fight that is not in the greater interest of our students,” Horne said. She added that one of the board’s duties is to not take actions that could “put JCPS or students at risk of a cutoff of state (or) federal funds.”

Also in Wednesday’s radio interview, Bevin asked why JCPS was still busing children.

“Are we really helping these children by taking them from one community, putting them on a bus … to another community where arguably they should be getting a better education but frankly they may or may not be, and then pulling them out of there before they can participate in any kind of extracurricular activities …” Bevin said.

Bevin said such students “don’t actually belong to any community anywhere.” He called them “educational nomads that are moving around on JCPS buses.”

He called busing “an antiquated approach that frankly needs to be re-examined.”

Brady said that, as a parent of JCPS students, he’s thankful the district has an assignment plan that gives him a choice of where to send his children.

“All of our students in JCPS and those in public schools across the state need the governor’s support, not attacks,” Brady said. “We welcome the opportunity to have a constructive conversation and (find) common ground from which we can work to benefit all students.”

Reporter Tom Loftus can be reached at 502-875-5136. Reporter Allison Ross can be reached at 502-582-4241.