Now what?
After a tumultuous few weeks for the Black Knights, Charlottesville City Schools hosted a community information and feedback session on November 30 at Charlottesville High School.
The meeting was prompted by a wave of fights at the school, three unanticipated days without instruction due to staff absences, and the abrupt departure of former principal Rashaad Pitt. CCS hoped the meeting would assuage community concerns about safety, security, and the environment at the school, but many attendees left the event frustrated.
Superintendent Royal Gurley and interim principal Kenny Leatherwood were the evening’s first speakers, followed by CCS officials, who outlined the immediate and planned changes to improve safety and security. Few of the slides revealed new information, but the district did share limited details about Knight School—a new night-time alternative education program—and plans to redo the bathrooms at CHS.
Many of the hundreds who attended the meeting were clearly frustrated with the lengthy presentation and CCS’ assurances about safety and standards at the school. When a district leader said that “We’ve always been disciplining students,” an audience member loudly responded, “No, you don’t.”
Following the presentation, community members were split into small groups to discuss their concerns and feelings about the school environment and security. Members of the local media were informed ahead of the event that they would be barred from participating in or recording audio of these discussions. Several organizations, including C-VILLE, objected to this lack of transparency.
Speakers from the groups were given the opportunity to share takeaways and potential solutions after reconvening. They expressed their discontent with communication about incidents at the school and the lack of consideration for deeper systemic issues underlying disruptive behavior, but said they appreciated CHS teachers and staff.
As attendees trickled out of the school’s common area, several shared their feelings about the session and the broader situation at CHS.
“I was amazed at how many people were in the room. I thought that was great,” said CHS parent David Leblang about the event. “I was disappointed in the sense that in the presentation, I didn’t hear anything about change. I just heard, ‘This is what we’re doing … we’re thinking about metal detectors, and we’re going to redo the bathrooms.’ That’s great, right, but how is that going to solve things in the spring?”
“I don’t feel unsafe at the school. And I do think that the administration is here for us, for the most part, but I do think it’s not really about the fights as much it is about … deeper systemic issues,” said Senior Class President Maggie Heaphy. Though glad the event offered people the opportunity to vocalize their concerns, she was disappointed by the lack of conversation between administrators and community members. “I think a lot of the frustration around tonight is that the whole kind of listening session idea, people don’t just want to say what they have to say, they want to hear the responses to that.”
“Yeah, there are things that need to change,” said Heaphy. “But there are also so many positive things that happened in these schools.”
In brief
Burial Grounds
The infamous Monroe Doctrine—introduced by President James Monroe on December 2, 1823—was symbolically laid to rest 200 years later on University of Virginia Grounds. Activists from the organizations CODEPINK and World Beyond War arranged the mock funeral, which began with a procession of the doctrine’s casket from the Downtown Mall’s Free Speech Wall to Monroe Hill House at UVA. The Monroe Doctrine profoundly influenced U.S. foreign policy, especially in regards to the country’s engagements in Latin America, by expanding the nation’s sphere of influence to the whole of the Americas.
Turning the page
Daedalus Books is under new ownership. According to The Daily Progress, Jackson Landers, a writer who was working part-time at the bookstore, was asked to buy the business by its 81-year-old longtime owner Sandy McAdams. The three-floor shop specializes in fiction and contains about 100,000 books, many of which are out of print.
Rookie of the year
During the 2023 Virginia Football Awards, 34-year-old Matt Ganyard was named Rookie of the Year under the Special Teams category. The oldest current player in NCAA Division I football, Ganyard debuted as a kicker for UVA this year, despite never playing a game of organized football in his life. Ganyard was allowed to play for Virginia due to his eligibility clock being paused while he served as a pilot in the U.S. Marines. A second-year graduate student at the Darden School of Business, Ganyard was also a nominee for the Armed Forces Merit Award.
