School board member plans

Town Halls

Dear Editor, Tuesday, January 10 was the date of the first Powhatan County School Board meeting that I was honored to attend as a board member. I want to thank all the Powhatan citizens that helped put me into office by voting for me, hosting meet and greets, putting up signs and knocking countless doors with me.

I intend to do my best to serve all Powhatan County residents by being as transparent and accessible as I possibly can be. Beginning in February, I will have a Town Hall meeting on the third Monday evening of the month (beginning Monday, February 20) at 7 p.m. at Manakin Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall at 985 Huguenot Trail. Additionally I will be at the Dunkin Donuts in Powhatan for more Coffee with Vicki’s at 2650 Wilton Square Place the morning of every regularly scheduled School Board meeting (beginning Tuesday, February 21 ) from 8 to 10 a.m. All Powhatan residents are invited to attend either meeting or both.

Vicki Hurt

Powhatan County School Board District 1

Need rationale for specifics in policy

Dear Editor, I appreciate those who speak to the obvious as frequently their audience requires the clarity such an offering provides. However, what’s of much less value are those who offer comments missing the essence of an argument or who fail to factor the logical extension of their argument. Such was the case at the 1/10/23 Powhatan County School Board (PCSB) meeting when a PCSB member spoke to the obvious concerning the possibility of a policy written today changing over time as new players are introduced to the school administration or the school board. That board member is correct…. policies can and often should change in whole or in part depending on the circumstance of the day. However, that should not be a rationale to dilute actions called forth by today’s reality.

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“You never know after hibernating for a few years, is the interest in the community still out there?” he said. “I am pleased with the turnout and I am happy so many authors came out.”

Could it have had more attendance? Always. Most of the authors had books to sell, and the more people in attendance the more exposure they get and the possibility of selling their works.

But I liked how library staff and Friends of Powhatan Library members constantly circulated the room and gathered feedback. Library director Chandra McPherson and Charles both mentioned bringing the event back next year and evaluating this weekend’s event to determine what worked and what needed to be improved, and that attitude will hopefully help it continue to grow and flourish.

Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@powhatantoday.com.

Yes, a policy conceived today offering a specific set of prohibitions may well be changed downstream. However, those seeking such change will be forced to do so in the full light of day as the new policy being advanced will be debated in the context of the old. Such debate is necessary and will not happen if the policy is too generally written at the outset. Dealing with an overly generalized policy is like hitting a tennis ball against a mattress… the ball simply doesn’t bounce back and allow an effective return of serve. Later in the meeting the same board member offered a nonsensical rationale for not stating specifics, suggesting a specific policy would have to include as many objectionable conditions as there are parents voicing them. While it was suggested that the number of conditions could rise to 1,000, I suspect the illustration offered was hyperbole used to garner support. However, such a possibility is no reason to simply link the policy to the county’s approved curriculum or generalized guidance emanating from the VDOE.

Even if the three listed “specifics” called for in the revised draft are exceeded by one, by a dozen, or even 1,000 different prohibitions, then so be it. The focus must not be on the number. Instead, the challenge we face is protecting our children and grandchildren from an outside assault. An assault as was witnessed by the book reading that aptly illustrated the gravity of the situation.

Parents, teachers and school administrators require well-constructed, highly visible guardrails established for all to apply as they navigate and guide themselves and their children. That specificity protects both students and teachers as well as providing parents with well-defined criteria against which to evaluate classroom conduct.

Establishing a very specific set of policy do’s and don’ts today will provide a baseline against which future changes can be debated and rationale for doing so placed in the public square for all to see. The resulting transparency may well temper those seeking change allowing most, if not all, of the original intent to survive.

Robert Powers Powhatan

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