As mentioned in the July 9 Redmond Reporter, Mike McCoy, a longtime teacher in the Lake Washington School District (LWSD), was contemplating early retirement if he would not be allowed to take an unpaid leave of absence in the fall, to tour with the folk group The Brothers Four.

Although McCoy had been granted such requests in previous years, LWSD deputy superintendent Janene Fogard explained that the district was now encouraging all teachers to carefully plan discretionary time off when it would not cut into the school year.

McCoy has since told the Reporter, via e-mail, that he will not return to his job at Wilder Elementary School. He included a copy of an e-mail that he received from Fogard on July 13.

Fogard reiterated her “responsibility to ensure we have fair and equitable practices when considering leave requests.” She expressed regret that this would create a difficult choice for McCoy and wished him the best in whatever decision he would make.

McCoy concluded, “There was never a question as to what I would do if the district denied my request. I made a commitment to the Brothers Four when the district gave me the ‘go-ahead’ four years ago, and I am keeping that commitment. Therefore, unfortunately, I will not be returning to Wilder.”

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