After a teacher was asked to submit her resignation, students at Winfield-Mount Union walked out of class. On April 15th, students scheduled a walkout after learning Language Arts Teacher Kathy Mullin was being asked to resign. Superintendent Jeff Maeder says he is unable to share why Mullin was asked to step down. Maeder added that these choices aren’t easy, “We have to do what we believe is best for students. Sometimes those decisions are not popular decisions. They are difficult decisions that come with a lot of thought and contemplation about the impact. They, again, are very difficult decisions, and they are always done in what we believe is the best interest of students.”

WMU parent and former student Juli Thomson tells KCII News that Mullin had been asked to resign after missing too many days of work due to medical issues. Thomson applauded the students for coming together, “I thought it was great they supported [Mullin] and it was something a big group of them could do together.” Thomson and other parents attended the walkout in support of Mullin, “I want people to show their support for Mrs. Mullin, to show the board how much she means to the community, how much she means to our kids. I hope they think about, ‘Is this what’s actually right for our kids?’”

The walkout lasted for 10 minutes then students returned to class. This was not the only recent personnel decision made by the school. Earlier this month, the school board also decided to terminate a fourth-grade teacher’s contract following the end of the school year due to a “reduction in workforce.”