PORTLAND — Students walked out of Lyman Moore Middle School on Friday in support of a social studies teacher after they learned that the district will not renew her contract.

Josephine Tibbetts, who has been at the middle school since 2024, believes administrators retaliated against her for speaking up about issues she identified with the school’s climate and leadership.

Portland Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment by a Friday evening deadline.

School leaders informed Tibbetts in a Thursday meeting that they would not renew her contract. Teachers in Maine are considered “probationary” for their first two years. At the end of that period, school administrators can choose whether to bring them on permanently or not renew their contract and do not have to provide a reason for their decision, according to Kerrie Dowdy, president of the Portland Education Association teachers union.

Tibbetts said she was chosen by her colleagues to serve in a liaison role between staff and school administrators, but tensions developed in those meetings this year, she said, as she raised questions about leadership.

Dowdy said she also believes Tibbetts was retaliated against for being vocal about challenges facing the school.

“You have an extraordinary young educator who has been speaking up in terms of her concerns around the climate culture and her community at Lyman Moore, really wanting to invest and help the entire school and her colleagues,” Dowdy said.

Tibbetts said her evaluations had been generally positive and gave her no reason to think she might be terminated. Last year, she won a teaching award, and the district highlighted her on its social media accounts, describing her as an “integral part of the Moore community” and a “passionate and dedicated educator who makes learning engaging and empowering.” She also won a school award related to her work as a volunteer basketball coach.

Dowdy said Tibbetts, a person of color and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, is an important resource for students from those backgrounds.

“She’s beloved, she’s invested, she’s close to families and students,” she said.

One of Tibbetts’ students, eighth-grader Jahziah Not, said in a phone call after the protest that he and others learned Thursday night that her contract would not be renewed and began rallying classmates to walk out during Friday’s lunch block.

“She always pushes students, even when they think they’re at their limit,” said Eamonn Howard, another eighth-grade student, in a phone interview. “And she’s just like an overall great person. She really helps out a lot of the Moore community.”

Fellow classmates Jodaci Luzayamo and Cathiana Liponga said in phone interviews that Tibbetts gave rides to students during January’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation and personally took food to some. They said she’s one of the only teachers who checks in with students to ensure they feel safe at school.

“She’s just a type of teacher, not to only teach us about academic stuff, but to help us learn who we are and what we’re capable of,” Cathiana said.

Outside of the school Friday afternoon, dozens of protesting students bore signs reading, “Justice for Tibbetts, my hero” and “Tibbetts doesn’t deserve this.” The students walked out during their lunch hour and went back into the school just after 1 p.m.

School officials told a reporter they couldn’t speak to any minors during the protest, and a district administrator directed all inquiries to a communications person, who did not respond to a list of questions.

Tibbetts said she has been overwhelmed by the show of support from students and their families. All day Friday, she received emails from parents supporting her, asking what they can do to help and offering her recommendations for future employers. She described herself as a hard teacher with high expectations for her students — and said she’s extremely proud of them.

“Not everyone gets to say that they are working and passionate about their work,” Tibbetts said. “That’s what this is about. I want to be a teacher, and I wanted to be a teacher at Portland Public Schools.”

Dowdy, the union president, said the union contract does not provide Tibbetts with job protections because of her probationary status. But Tibbetts said she filed a Title IX complaint alleging retaliation and harassment against her.

She said she plans to take any measures necessary to keep her job.

“I cannot stress enough the hard work that I put in to be a part of this community and to be accepted here,” Tibbetts said. “I feel like I’m a good teacher. Do I have a lot to learn? Absolutely? Do I have my students’ best interest at heart? Yes. So, yeah, I’m going to do everything that I can.”