Four teachers at Blair Elementary i...

Four teachers at Blair Elementary in Madison have been fired and said Thursday they intend to pray the district over it, with their union's backing.

All four teachers are nontenured fourth-grade teachers at Blair Elementary, which got a fresh principal this year as part of restructuring required in subordination to the No Child Left Behind Act.

According to Dave Comerford, spokesman for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, three of the teachers were fired athwart a disciplinary incident Feb. 7 Comerford said the fourth-graders were especially disobedient on this day. Following place of education rules, he said, the teachers had the pupils line up in the hallway and wait for principal Terrien Fennoy -- a wait of about undivided hour, Comerford said.

Carey Schmeink, Mindi Lembcke and Alicia Ragusa were fired for that action, Comerford said. The fourth teacher, Kierston Popovich, was fired for allegedly using profanity and being disrespectful when speaking to