WAPost report: As interim superintendent, McKnight presided over the district as it was engulfed in turmoil when winter break ended and the omicron variant was surging. Worried parents and teachers wanted coronavirus testing to precede a return to school, which did not happen. Others asked for the option of temporary remote learning, which was eventually allowed. Her administration stumbled as it navigated the crisis, starting with one approach, halting it after state officials objected, then moving on to another. McKnight apologized to the community at one point, saying she was sorry for any stress caused by problems in communication about changing covid guidelines, disruptions from bus staffing shortages, and snow closures and delays.
As the upheaval went on, the teachers union voted no confidence in how the school board and McKnight were managing the surge, and the union for administrators and principals sent a letter saying the system lacked an effective plan and had “never been in such a crisis state.”
Afterward, the issue of race was raised by Black pastors who alleged in a sharply worded letter that McKnight was being vilified in a political attempt to destroy a professionally qualified woman of color. They said a string of county and union leaders appeared to be using backdoor politics to publicly discredit her — a charge that the leaders rejected.
During my years as a teacher, I was always appalled at the degree blacks make excuses for poor behavior. According to them, they are NEVER responsible for any misdeed—there’s always some external factor to be blamed. Be it pastors or politicians, they close ranks around the one accused, denying culpability and blame. So this does not surprise me. Baltimore’s last 2 mayors (black) are either jailed or indicted for major crimes.