A teacher wrote the state education commissioner a harsh email. See why she resigned.

A Meade County teacher who was initially fired last fall for sending a critical e-mail to Kentucky Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis ended up resigning as part of a settlement agreement with her school district, documents show.

Kira Hesse had initially requested a tribunal hearing in hopes that her termination would be reversed. Instead, she reached a settlement agreement with Meade County school district officials, according to documents obtained under the Kentucky Open Records Act.

In November, Lewis let Meade Superintendent John Millay know that Hesse had sent him an email saying, “Stop sending us emails. We don’t like your agenda. We don’t want your business please go back where you came from. You and your butt buddies can go ruin another state. You’ll answer to the Lord one day and you know what’s going to happen to you if you don’t change your ways.”

Millay then sent Hesse an email saying he was going to fire her because “the email is a personal attack on Dr. Lewis and is threatening in nature.”

Lewis sent Kentucky educators a communication saying he had received hateful and disrespectful emails.

Lewis has said it’s likely that Hesse’s email and another critical one were prompted when he said in November that he would ask the 2019 General Assembly to create a funding mechanism or process for charter schools. The 2019 General Assembly, which just ended last week, ultimately did not create a funding mechanism for funding charter schools. The future of charter schools in Kentucky is still uncertain.

Lewis has said that high quality public charter schools are one of the tools that can be used to close the achievement gap between groups of students, including low income students and students of color. After years of debate, the General Assembly passed a law in 2017 to allow public charter schools in Kentucky for the first time. But none have opened yet, and the delay has been blamed on the lack of a funding mechanism. Opponents of charter schools have expressed concern that they will take resources away from traditional public schools.

A Dec. 12 settlement agreement between Hesse and Meade County officials said school district officials had withdrawn the termination letter and that Hesse had resigned. Under the agreement, it was determined that all that would be released to potential employers are Hesse’s dates of employment and her position.

Kira Hesse’s attorney Michele Henry had no comment Friday about the settlement agreement. Kentucky Department of Education officials also had no comment.

This story was originally published April 1, 2019 at 11:39 AM.