Several school districts closed in Kentucky on Friday, March 30, as teachers protested a pension reform bill that lawmakers had passed the previous day. Hundreds of teachers rallied at the state capitol in opposition of the bill.

Teachers and other public workers have been protesting pension reform proposals for weeks. A bill, described as a surprise, surfaced on Thursday and was approved by both the House and Senate within hours.

The bill does not include some provisions teachers disliked the most that were in previous versions, but it does move future teachers from the current traditional pension plan with defined benefits into a cash balance plan that includes features from a traditional pension and a 401(k) savings plan.

Jefferson County School District reported more than 1,200 teachers would be absent and expected hundreds more when officials shut schools on Friday, a news report said. More than 20 other counties also closed schools because of teacher absences. Credit: Sara Merideth via Storyful