CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WINA) – School will be back in session at Charlottesville High on Monday, but many things will be different.

There will be additional hall sweeps, staff and volunteers will be monitoring the school’s side doors, Knight School will begin immediately, and the media center will be closed.

It’s part of sweeping changes in the wake of multiple fights inside the school, including one that led to a teacher sickout.

The following is Superintendent Dr. Royal Gurley’s community message.

 

November 26, 2023, Community Message

Dear CHS Community,

I hope this message finds you well, despite the challenges we’ve faced in recent weeks at CHS. Tomorrow marks a new beginning, and we eagerly anticipate welcoming back our students and staff.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all our students, with special pride for all of you who consistently make the choice to uphold our values. However, we recognize that a small number have disrupted the learning environment. For students who are struggling to meet our school-wide expectations, we are providing a combination of discipline and support that will benefit the individual students, the school as a whole, and our community. Thanks also to our teachers, whose commitment to our students created an opportunity for us to have courageous conversations and make meaningful change.

Our community has rallied in an overwhelming response to support CHS, and you’ll witness many volunteers greeting students as they arrive tomorrow morning or serving in other roles at our school.

Aside from volunteering, we all have a part to play as we move forward toward a more positive school culture. Specifically, we are asking parents, guardians, students, staff, and community members to commit to the following:

  • Let’s remind one another of our own expectations for behavior, along with the schools’ Students’ Rights and Responsibilities.
  • If a student is experiencing conflict with another student, please reach out to a counselor and/or administrator for assistance.
  • Remember: If you see something, say something. From a potential fight to a broken bathroom door, the quicker school staff is aware of a problem, the faster we can move to a solution.
  • If a student needs social-emotional or other support, please let their counselor or another trusted school employee know. Remember that we partner with CareSolace to offer free resources to connect students, staff, and families with support.
  • Let’s focus on facts and solutions. Rumors and constant negativity will not make our school better.

What are we doing specifically as a school to improve structure, routines, and accountability? We hear (and share) your concerns about students in the hallways, about side-door security, and more. Please read below for additional information, and remember that we are hosting an information/feedback meeting on Thursday at 6pm. (Find details and RSVP information at the bottom of this message.)

The past weeks have been tough on teachers, students, and families alike. Moving forward, Interim Principal Kenny Leatherwood, the CHS administration, my colleagues in our central office, and our School Board are working alongside CHS staff to assure that our school is a structured, safe, and welcoming place for learning.

Looking ahead, I am excited to see our students back at CHS tomorrow! Be well.

Sincerely,

Royal Gurley, Superintendent

 

Additional Details about CHS for Monday and Beyond

Information about Monday’s Schedule

Students will report to first-period classes (beginning at 9:05am), and then all classes will move to the MLK Performing Arts Center for a school-wide assembly, which includes student speakers, clarification of expectations, and words from Interim Principal Kenny Leatherwood. Following the assembly, students will follow a singleton schedule (first period begins at 10:05am; see schedule details, below). Teachers will use the day to welcome students back as well as reinforce classroom expectations and reestablish classroom community. Throughout the day, classes will use guided discussion questions to explore how to strengthen our CHS community.

Extra Hands at the School

From central office staff – including Dr. Gurley and Dr. Otey – to volunteers, we will have additional helpers at our school. For parents and community members, there are two ways to help – serving as a substitute teacher and registering as a volunteer.

Other Immediate Changes

  • Following staff feedback, we have made some improvements to how employees will offer coverage at the front door and throughout the building.
  • The media center will be closed on Monday.
  • Additional hall sweeps will be made.
  • Staff and volunteers will increase monitoring of side doors.
  • Counselors and social-emotional professionals are available to support students as needed.
  • Our “in-school suspension” area is being enhanced with new seating and procedures.
  • We will continue to discipline students according to the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities (following state guidelines). We have a number of students who continue to serve suspensions or face disciplinary hearings at this time.
  • Knight School (an alternative learning option taking place at night) will begin serving its first students; again, we are opening this program slowly and deliberately to assure it gets off to a good start.

Upcoming Changes

  • The Board will be working with school and division staff to collaborate on strategies to strengthen safety and security protocols.
  • We will be working with our IT department to enhance side-door monitoring and security.
  • We are seriously exploring weapons detectors (as discussed at the Board work session on October 19).
  • In line with our response to the recent incident involving an unauthorized adult on campus, we will take legal action to emphasize our dedication to maintaining a secure environment at CHS and other buildings of Charlottesville City Schools.
  • Continued work to implement additional CHS staff recommendations.
  • Staff continues to build out a network of alternative community and school programming available to those students whose needs are not being fully met at CHS.

Reminder: Information/Feedback Session on Thursday, November 30, 6pm

Join us on Thursday, November 30, for presentations about some of the immediate and pending changes you will be seeing at CHS, followed by brief Q&A and discussion groups to collect community feedback for the School Board and administration. The meeting will start at 6pm at CHS (space TBD). Please RSVP here if you plan to attend in person. Or register via Zoom here.

Students are welcome to join us. In addition, we are planning opportunities to hear our students’ voices during school hours.