Youre going to terminate a superintendent for no reason. Rock Out Knock Out Homelessness is THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY at the Southpoint Walmart. Motion Information Browser: Browser Version: Server: Username: Meeting: Meeting Status: New Meeting: Agenda Item: Committee: Voting Item: The end came unceremoniously for Superintendent Scott Baker. Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger Harris says his deputies will no longer provide security for school board meetings due to a situation that has become a "festering sore.". FOX 5's Sierra Fox explores the divisive debate going on over the Spotsylvania County School Board's new superintendent nominee. Backlash to school books centering on race, sex and LGBTQ people turns into conservative rallying cry. Spotsylvania County Public Schools Recognized as a 2021 America's Best Midsize Employer. We're hosting a FREE clothing and food event on Friday, 9/30 from 5-7 PM! In Virginia, Amy Sneads efforts with Bedford Moms for Liberty bore fruit, too. Shelley corroborated Scheffs account and stated that Guempel told her about the incident himself. "No one parent should dictate what every child reads, what every family has access to, because we have such varied and diverse values," Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, said. After the break, board member Rabih Abuismail asked Twigg to waive the five-person limit per subject. On Thursday, the Virginia Board of Education voted 6-2 to give Taylor a superintendents license. All rights reserved. Part-time and hourly SOQ-funded positions will receive $500 bonuses. There was a problem saving your notification. Together, we prepare our students for their future. spotsylvania County board of supervisors. How is this good for the students, the children of Spotsylvania County? Scheff said that Guempel asked for a higher monthly stipend and that Twigg crossed out the $4,500 amount and changed it to $8,500. The board listened to several hours of public comments. Around the same time, she realized two members were up for reelection on the Bedford school board, and she discovered two fathers Matthew Holbrook and Dwayne Nelms who were willing to run and who shared the values of our organization, Snead said. There, they chatted for hours with voters about each of the candidates. Archives. At this years inaugural board meeting, on Jan. 13, one of the first things Holbrook said he did was vote for a new policy extending public comment to 40 minutes and allowing four minutes of speaking time per person. For so many years, so many people just filled in whatever bubble [for school board] these races had really fallen off peoples radars, Snead said. I cannot comment further as it is an ongoing investigation, LaCivita said in an email Tuesday. Tense and chaotic Spotsylvania School Board meeting ends with little action taken. At its last meeting, Twigg abruptly fired well-regarded Superintendent Dr. Scott Baker, who had . So many times since the pandemic hit, the 39-year-old father of four, who works as a building contractor, had tried and failed to speak at Bedford school board meetings. Nonetheless, she plunged in: The roughly 200 local members of Moms for Liberty which grew through word of mouth and social media posts started sharing a flood of information about the election on Facebook, as well as attending community events. A Spotsylvania woman was killed early Thursday in a two-vehicle crash in the county, police said. Twigg banged his gavel and ordered deputies remove a woman who was speaking at the podium during a meeting Monday night. Forrest said he did not have an explanation and would need to get a response. Abuismail also did not offer an explanation. For example, she said, New York City public schools decided against offering a broad remote-learning option this academic year, leaving many parents who preferred virtual feeling angry and ignored. On July 9, School Board Chair Kirk Twigg wrote former Culpeper councilman Jon Russell, then a special counsel at the Virginia Department of Education, telling him Mark Taylor was the final candidate for the superintendent position.. Spotsylvania County Public Schools - Simple Agenda Detailed Agenda Current Agenda Item Current Policy Item Current Library Item Goal Progress Report Minutes PrintClose Audio Player Video Agenda Yes or no? Helpful Links. school apologizes after video shows White students singing n-word, Perspective: Navigating the wilderness, avoiding predators urban and rural, Teacher quits in protest after being punished for banned-books sign, BYU says probe found no evidence of racial slurs at Duke volleyball player. Nine months after becoming the first major U.S. historic site to be led by descendants of those once enslaved there, Montpelier is freshly opt, During Mondays bond hearing, it was revealed Snead no longer has visitation rights with her son, a student at Fishburne Military School in Wa. Live streaming available during active meetings. You cant do an audit of books without developing screening criteria and you have to have facts in order to do that., Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Public Comment Period: Proposed 2022 Physical Education SOL. He asked Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office deputies to remove two people from the meeting when they started to address Taylors appointment, and threatened others with removal. Both will go on to compete at the Regional Spelling Bee for a shot at competing at Nationals. Good luck, Ms. Parker! The discussion was prompted by concerns raised by Christina Burris, the mother of a Riverbend High School student, who said she was alarmed that LGBTQIA fiction was immediately available through the library app. Download for Android: NOTICE OF CANCELLATION: PLEASE BE INFORMED THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD'S REGULAR MEETING SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022, HAS BEEN CANCELED. The dethroned superintendent, it was felt, had not left enough decision-making power to the families of some of his students, although Braswell said personal enmity also played a role. They were just incensed., It was all of us being so focused on public schools during distance learning, said Patrick Wolff, executive director of Families for San Francisco, which has endorsed the local school board recall effort and published reports critical of the school system. Parent-activists, seeking control over education, are taking over school boards. SLE kicked off Day One with our keynote speaker session "Teaching and Leading with Focus" with Mike Schmoke. A Jan. 13 board meeting for the Orange Unified School . The Virginia Board of Education will meet on Thursday, Sept. 15 to review Taylor's candidacy. The push for parents rights in education is a break from a more traditional public-school notion in which all residents of a county, not just parents, fund school systems, vote for school board members and hold school officials accountable, said Jack Schneider, associate professor of education at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. At the Jan. 10 meeting, Twigg refused to give a reason for firing the superintendent, according to The Free Lance-Star. Twigg forged a contract and if people up here are defending him, then theyre just as guilty as he is.. To enter Kindergarten next fall, a child must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2022. One of the first actions the group took at its inaugural meeting in January apart from firing the superintendent was to appoint as chairman Kirk Twigg, one of the board members who proposed burning books. Spotsylvania County 9104 Courthouse Road Spotsylvania, VA 22553. The Spotsylvania School Board will be considering a Prepackaged Food Donation policy at their February 13th meeting. But its an effective message, Schneider said. Hes not going to lie to me about that, Shelley said. Board of Supervisors Seating Chart Planning Commission Other Regional Meetings Agenda & Meeting Minutes Meeting agendas and minutes are available for review. This was captured on the broadcast before you adjourned, Scheff said. Great job! You can use this area for legal statements, copyright information, a mission statement, etc. 12-month employees and essential employees are to report to work on time as safety permits. You can cancel at any time. Twigg then led the effort to name Taylor, who is one of his friends, as the new superintendent. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 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It simply isnt the case. The firing in Spotsylvania is a dramatic example of a parent-led takeover of school boards that is happening nationwide, with mothers and fathers seeking seats, recalls of sitting members or both. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Taylor said "no" and that he hadn't seen them. The election saw a record number of parents campaign for council positions, according to New York government data reported by Chalkbeat up from about 1,000 in 2019 to 1,785 candidates in 2021. Our school board has generously approved Friday, March 10th as a day off for all teachers, students, and staff. You can get 'em out of here,' the morale of the deputies over the past several months has just decreased rapidly, and when we're asked to do things that are obviously a violation of the First Amendment It's a depressing job to be there and be treated -- to see the public treated the way they are by members of the school board, primarily the chairman, he said. She said her group is supporting two people who plan to run, and that Power 2 Parent is currently seeking additional qualified candidates who believe in parents rights. Public comments regarding thePhysical Education SOL will be received atvdoe.stem@doe.virginia.govfromFebruary 11-March 11. A Fredericksburg woman who bashed her former roommate in the head with a softball bat last year pleaded guilty to a felony charge Wednesday. Board member Lorita Daniels was attempting to address concerns raised to her by parents of special education students when Twigg called for a vote to adjourn the meeting. This is malfeasance, plain and simple.. Melissa Floyd, the parent of a 6th grade and a 9th grade Spotsylvania County Public Schools student said her kids have lots of years left in the school district. At a special meeting Tuesday, the Stafford School Board approved a $442 million operating budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1. Anger erupted at a Spotsylvania County School Board meeting with divisions on the board and community on full display Monday. Parents say it's alarming that Taylor and the school board chair Kirk Twigg seem to be good friends. Spotsylvania School Board members Lorita Daniels and Rabih Abuismail attended a town hall me. Click here for more: 9 days ago, Spotsylvania County Public Schools. The first of our Advanced HS Programs Information Night is TONIGHT at Courtland HS. After the meeting, you approached the acting superintendent with copy of the contract. And Snead knew nothing about school board elections: A stay-at-home mother for the past 15 years, with some experience in hotel management before that, she had no political or activism experience. At Monday's board meeting, one major topic of discussion will be the shortage of teachers and bus drivers . Wed not been paying attention, and now we are.. The couple said they dont believe books with sexually explicit content, like pedophilia and prostitution, belong in a high school library. I have covered education, local government and social services for the Free Lance-Star since 2016. The bonuses will be paid in October to all eligible staff who receive a paycheck on Sept. 30. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. We find ourselves in a sort of perpetual defensive posture, he said. When board member Kirk Twigg was elected . The board probably violated Virginia open meetings law, and it failed to identify an interim superintendent. It was late in the campaign season, so Holbrook and Nelms would have to campaign as write-in candidates, historically a difficult path. "I want someone who knows what theyre doing, and is in it to make public schools better for kids and has the experience to do it," she said. Copyright 2023 Spotsylvania County Public Schools. After the meeting, you approached the acting superintendent with copy of the contract. They also headed to the polls as soon as early voting opened. Victoria LaCivita, a spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office, confirmed that the complaintas well as one alleging that Twigg misappropriated public funds by paying for board members April Gillespie and Lisa Phelps to attend a conference with ties to a conservative political action committee in Marchhas been received by the office. Harris said it saddens him to see the controversy that now surrounds the school district. Monday night marked the first time Christina and Robert Burris spoke before the school board. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2 months ago, Spotsylvania County Public Schools. Meanwhile, parents in other places are looking ahead to the next school board elections. The Spotsylvania County School Board also directed staff to report on the number of books that have been removed at a special meeting called for next week, The Free Lance-Star reported. Scheff said that Guempel asked for a higher monthly stipend and that Twigg crossed out the $4,500 amount and changed it to $8,500. At a county school board meeting Monday night, Baker shared the . She joined three other board members who share similar views, two of whom recently suggested the school district should burn books that Christian parents find objectionable. She was more upset when she came across Adam Rapp's 33 Snowfish," which is about homeless teens trying to escape from pasts that include sexual abuse, prostitution and drug addiction. Three more animal cruelty charges were filed Thursday in the case of Byrd Rareshide, a former Virginia horse show judge who stands accused of . Archives. Baker could not be reached for comment. Elsewhere, parent takeovers of school boards appear to be proceeding with less drama although its early days yet, and most boards are still scheduling or holding initial meetings. The district also ended mask requirements and contact tracing, effective Feb. 1. - SCPS Superintendent Mark Taylor, 17 days ago, Spotsylvania County Public Schools. Daniels and Cole had not voted when Twigg declared the meeting over. On July, Twigg sent a letter to former Culpeper councilman Jon Russell, then a special counsel at the Virginia Department of Education, informing him that Mark Taylor was the final candidate for the superintendent position.. On January 27, 2022, the Virginia Board of Education received for first review the proposed revisions to the 2015 Physical Education Standards of Learning (SOL). Preparing Our Students for the Future at SLE 2022, Vaccine Clinic for Rising 7th & 12th Graders. Shelley corroborated Scheffs account and stated that Guempel told her about the incident himself. Live Streaming & Archive of School Board Meetings; FY2023 Budget Information; The meetings live feed ended about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, as board member Nicole Cole was still speaking. He also wants to bring the ideas of the people to the table and implement their ideas, he said, to help realize his vision in which parents are hands-on in every aspect of the childs education from helping with homework at home to deciding what gets taught in the classroom. FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - There's a divisive debate going on over the Spotsylvania County School Board's new superintendent nominee. They also gave free ice cream away to every student and staff member at lunch. Baker said he ran for school board to represent conservative mothers and fathers whose voices were being silenced as it relates to the school board, especially around the topics of mask mandates and critical race theory. Twigg, Gillespie and the two other members of the newly dominant faction Rabih Abuismail and Lisa Phelps did not respond to requests for comment. Spotsylvania County Public Schools Recognized as a 2021 America's Best Midsize Employer. Contact Us. STAND - Superintendent's Student Advisory Committee, Division Curriculum & Instruction Information, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Handbook, Code of Conduct, Pathways, Athletics & More, High School Student Resources for College, Parent/Student Handbook, Code of Student Conduct, Course Pathways, Athletics & More, SCPS Teacher Awarded National Honor in Cybersecurity Education, Spotsylvania County Public Schools Recognized as a 2021 America's Best Midsize Employer, SCPS Ranked on Forbes 2021 America's Best Employers Listing, On January 27, 2022, the Virginia Board of Education received for first review the proposed revisions to the 2015 Physical Education Standards of Learning (SOL).