FlucOlympians recognized for achievements

By Heather Michon
Correspondent

School Board members recognized the achievements of the FlucOlympians team at the Special Olympics Summer Games in Richmond. 

Eight student-athletes split into two teams for track and field, with one team winning the gold and the other the silver.

“They did a good job,” said teacher Nick Ward. “It was a lot of fun, we went down there, we stayed in Richmond, we got to stay at the dorm, it was a great experience for them.”

“We’re really proud of their effort, their teamwork, and their independence,” said Director of Special Education Jennifer Valentine.

FOIA request questioned

School Board chair Andrew Pullen (Columbia) faced renewed criticism at August’s board meeting (Aug 14).

In public comments at the end of the meeting, Fork Union District resident Ashleigh Crocker said Pullen had failed to fully comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request she made in June. 

The request stemmed from the ongoing questions surrounding Pullen’s role in submitting a charter school application to the state. 

Crocker’s FOIA request sought both emails and text messages between Pullen and local and state officials. She said he submitted no text strings from many of the people on her request list, and the screenshots he did submit often appeared to be fragments of longer conversations.

“It’s beyond clear that the chair of the board cannot be trusted and isn’t doing his job,” said Crocker. She called on the other board members to censure or remove him as chair.

In his closing remarks at the end of the meeting, Pullen said he refused to even acknowledge the criticism. “If anyone is concerned with FOIA requests, I would say: get a lawyer.”

Cellphone Policy

Superintendent Peter Gretz gave a detailed presentation on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order #33, which directed the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to develop policies that eliminate cellphone use during instructional time and address the mental health impacts of social media and cell phone addiction.

Each school district will have until January 2025 to establish its own policies aligning with the VDOE guidelines.

Gretz said both Fluvanna Middle School and Fluvanna County High School already have policies stating that cellphones must be turned off during the school day. FCHS also has specific prohibitions on filming fights. 

He said that every year, teachers contact the district’s Advisory Council asking that cellphones be banned from campus, while other teachers have a more liberal attitude towards cellphone use in the classroom. Policies are not always consistently enforced.

“What’s the value of having a policy if I get to choose whether or not to enforce it?” said Danny Reed (Fork Union). “At that point, it’s just a free-for-all.”

James Kelley (Palmyra) said he could see the benefits of a cellphone-free campus, “but it inherently comes at a communications cost with the families,” because parents wouldn’t be able to contact their children to arrange schedules or check on their well-being. 

Pullen has opposed cellphones in school for some time but does not want the state telling the districts what to do, especially if the guidelines require things like locked cubbies or bags for student phones. These, he said, are just more “unfunded mandates” from Richmond.

VDOE was expected to release full guidelines by September, and districts will have until the end of the year to align their policies to the state’s directives.