Newly obtained emails show that Jefferson County Public Schools Chief Academic Officer Nathan Balasubramanian unilaterally ordered a subordinate to cancel a student musical production in August, contradicting earlier district statements that a “miscommunication” had occurred.
The decision to cancel “Ragtime” at duPont Manual High School’s Youth Performing Arts School sparked viral social media outrage and prompted a reversal within 12 hours, according to reporting from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting.
According to emails obtained by the publication, board member Linda Duncan stated that Balasubramanian, in his first weeks leading JCPS’s academics division, directed his direct report Kim Morales, the regional assistant superintendent of high schools, to call Manual’s principal and cancel the production. Balasubramanian objected to the musical’s use of racial slurs in its script.
“[O]ne Chief, new to the district, took it upon himself to question whether kids should be compelled by the script to use racial slurs,” Duncan wrote in an email. The musical, set in 1900s New York, follows white families, Jewish immigrants and Black Americans pursuing the American Dream and contains the N-word and other ethnic slurs.
District communications chief Barnard Baker previously claimed the show had not been canceled, characterizing the incident as a “miscommunication” during a review process. Duncan’s emails directly contradict that account, stating the show was never actually canceled because Balasubramanian lacked the authority to shut down the production.
The emails also reveal dysfunction in JCPS leadership. Superintendent Brian Yearwood overruled the cancellation decision without informing Balasubramanian or Morales, then admonished Morales for raising concerns about being excluded from decision-making. Yearwood told Morales to respect the “chain of command” when concerns arise.
Balasubramanian, who joined JCPS in late July, did not respond to requests for comment. Manual Principal Michael Newman declined to speak to media. Yearwood and Balasubramanian did not respond to reporting inquiries.
The controversy erupted as Balasubramanian, who brings more than 30 years of experience leading PreK-12 educational systems, began his role in what has been a turbulent transition for the district’s leadership under Yearwood’s first full school year as superintendent.
Sources
- KY Center for Investigative Reporting
- JCPS announcement of Balasubramanian’s appointment as Chief Academic Officer
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from KY Center for Investigative Reporting, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2026-09-25/new-jcps-chief-tried-to-cancel-manual-ragtime-show-board-member-says.
