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Virginia Beach City Public Schools recall, Virginia (2021-2022)
| Virginia Beach City Public Schools recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Dorothy “Dottie” Holtz Trenace Riggs Jessica Owens Carolyn Rye Kimberly Melnyk |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in Virginia Virginia recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall six of the 11 members of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools school board in Virginia did not result in their removal.
The recall effort began in September 2021. At-large representatives Beverly Anderson and Dorothy “Dottie” Holtz, District 1-Centerville representative Trenace Riggs, District 3-Rose Hall representative Jessica Owens, District 5-Lynnhaven representative Carolyn Rye, and District 7-Princess Anne representative Kimberly Melnyk were named in the recall petitions.[1]
Recall supporters listed the board's vote on continuing virtual schooling and not offering in-person schooling during the 2020-2021 school year as reasons for the recall effort.[2] In response, Anderson said it was the school board's job to consider the safety of all students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Anderson, Riggs, and Owens won re-election to the board on November 3, 2020. Anderson received the most votes (31.1%) in the at-large race for two seats, Riggs received 54.3% of the vote against one opponent, and Owens received 55.9% of the vote against one opponent. Holtz, Rye, and Melnyk won re-election to the board on November 6, 2018. Holtz received the most votes (30%) in the at-large race for two seats, Rye received 56.1% of the vote against one opponent, and Melnyk received 59.7% of the vote against one opponent.
To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by the group Students First VA. According to its website, the group "is a grassroots organization created by concerned parents and community members working together to have a positive impact on local and state education by promoting the interests of students first, advocating current issues and opposing harmful agendas, and supporting candidates for political office as well as current office holders who impact these critical educational matters."[3] At-large school board member Victoria Manning was one of the leaders of the group.[4]
The group's website included the following reasons for recall:[2]
| “ | A vast majority of students in Virginia Beach were kept out of in-person school from March 2020 through June 2021 due to the decisions of some members of the VA Beach School Board. These decisions harmed children and caused a major educational setback for students.
On November 19, 2020, CDC Director Robert Redfield stated “All Schools should remain open. It is the safest place for children to be” and “It is counterproductive to close schools”. Pediatricians advising the Virginia Beach School Board stated multiple times that mental health problems among children have greatly increased. The VB School Health Advisory Board reported that overall employee medical claims had decreased, but mental health claims had increased. Physicians advising the School Board as well as physician letters sent to the Board stressed the importance of students being in school in person, yet MELNYK, ANDERSON, RYE, HOLTZ, OWENS & RIGGS ignored the advice of medical professionals. We believe students were harmed by the impacts of these votes as most students remained virtual for the entire year. Reading scores declined and students with special needs did not receive services required by law. Multiple emails to the School Board from parents of students with special needs share the negative impact on their children caused by MELNYK, ANDERSON, RYE, HOLTZ, OWENS & RIGGS.[5] |
” |
Recall opponents
In response to the recall effort, Anderson said, "The group’s written reasoning for the recall fails to mention the safety mitigations that the school system, CDC and Governor put into place during the pandemic. As school board members it’s our job to think of the safety of all students, teachers and staff when making decisions for the school system."[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Virginia
To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect signatures equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last election for the office. If enough signatures had been collected, the petitions would have been reviewed by the circuit court.[1]
About the district
Virginia Beach City Public Schools is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is classified as a large city school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 68,624 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 87 schools.[6]
During the 2018-2019 school year, 39.3% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 1.8% were English language learners, and 11.8% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).[7]
| Racial Demographics, 2018-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Virginia Beach City Public Schools (%) | Virginia K-12 students (%) |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 6.1 | 7.1 |
| Black | 23.5 | 22.2 |
| Hispanic | 11.7 | 16.2 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Two or More Races | 9.8 | 5.7 |
| White | 48.2 | 48.4 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Ballotpedia covered 35 coronavirus-related recall efforts against 94 officials in 2022, accounting for 13% of recalls that year. This is a decrease from both 2020 and 2021. COVID-related recalls accounted for 37% of all recall efforts in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials.
The chart below compares coronavirus-related recalls to recalls for all other reasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
2022 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 54 school board recall efforts against 123 board members in 2022. Recall elections against school board members were held on January 11, 2022, January 18, 2022, January 24, 2022, February 15, 2022, March 29, 2022, April 4, 2022, and November 8, 2022. The school board recall success rate was 7.3%.
The chart below details the status of 2022 recall efforts by individual school board member.
2021 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 92 school board recall efforts against 237 board members in 2021. Recall elections against 17 board members were held in 2021. The school board recall success rate was 0.42%.
The chart below details the status of 2021 recall efforts by individual school board member.
See also
- Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia
- Recall campaigns in Virginia
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- Political recall efforts, 2022
- School board recalls
- States that allow school board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 News 3 WTKR, "Parents react to petitions to recall Virginia Beach school board members," September 29, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Students First VA, "Recall of VA Beach School Board Members," accessed October 5, 2021
- ↑ Students First VA, "Home," accessed October 5, 2021
- ↑ Students First VA, "Students First VA Leadership," accessed October 5, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Search for Public School Districts," accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," accessed March 8, 2021
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