Fayette Public Schools superintendent granted temporary medical leave through Jan. 31

Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk will be on temporary medical leave through at least Jan. 31, school board chairwoman Stephanie Spires announced Monday.

Marlene Helm, who has served as acting superintendent in the past, was selected to serve in Caulk’s position until he returns, Spires said.

The announcement came after the Fayette school board met virtually in closed session for almost two hours. Spires said the leave could last until Jan. 31 or until Caulk was medically released to return. She did not provide further details on the medical condition.

A statement from the school board after the meeting said:

“The Board of Education has granted a temporary medical leave to Superintendent Caulk so that he can focus his full energy on his health status, and the board has designated Dr. Marlene Helm to serve as acting superintendent to ensure the vital work of the district office moves forward as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for the spring semester.”

“Dr. Helm has served as acting superintendent on multiple prior occasions, and we appreciate her agreement to again assist the school district in this role.”

Spires and district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said they couldn’t comment further.

In the fall of 2015, not long after he was hired, Caulk underwent surgery for 18 hours to remove a malignant tumor from his sinus cavity.

He said in 2015 that doctors were able to remove the entire tumor, that he would make a full recovery and that the cancer had not spread.

Caulk, 49, was hired as superintendent after Tom Shelton resigned in 2014, and Helm served as acting superintendent during the transition between the two.

Helm also served as acting superintendent for three months in spring 2004, after Ken James resigned less than a year into his contract as superintendent and before Stu Silberman was hired.

The temporary medical leave comes at a time when in-person learning at all schools in the state is prohibited — by an order from Gov. Andy Beshear — while Kentucky deals with a surge in coronavirus cases.

Fayette has only offered remote learning and very limited in-person classes since the pandemic began in March. Before Beshear’s order, the Fayette school board had decided not to return to face-to-face classes until at least January.

This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 3:56 PM.