CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Albemarle County School Board is expecting “a larger-than-usual turnout” for its Thursday night meeting as it grapples with questions of freedom of speech, support for transgender students and the fallout from a board member’s controversial social media post that appeared to compare Turning Point USA to the Ku Klux Klan.

“We’re expecting a larger-than-usual turnout, and more individuals than usual have already signed up to speak during public comment,” board chairperson Dr. Kate Acuff told Cville Right Now by email. “We’re prepared to manage the increased attendance and are working closely with our partners at the Albemarle County Police Department to ensure the meeting proceeds safely and smoothly for everyone in attendance.”

Acuff said the board “has received a high volume of emails and messages from community members expressing a wide range of perspectives,” and that input has come from parents, students, staff and community members, as well as from some people who don’t live in Albemarle County or even Virginia.

 

Guest speaker controversy

The controversy stems from a proposed guest speaker’s appearance at a student club during a lunchtime meeting.

According to Turning Point USA, the group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, the school chapter’s request to have conservative activist Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation, give a presentation entitled “Two genders, one truth,” to the club’s lunchtime meeting on Oct. 1 was initially denied by principal Jennifer Sublette, before she reversed course and permitted the appearance.

Advocates for Cobb and the club – the largest Turning Point USA high school chapter in the Commonwealth – argued that blocking Cobb’s presentation violated their freedom of speech and amounted to viewpoint discrimination.

Acuff said Sublette did not deny the request, but suggested the event would be better suited for an after-school slot, when more time would be available. Lunch meetings are limited to 35 minutes, Acuff said. She said Sublette followed school policy in the situation.

“Western Albemarle High School did not reverse or change its position regarding the Turning Point USA club’s request to host a speaker,” Acuff said. “Initially, the principal suggested holding the presentation after school because the proposed topic – gender identity – seemed likely to require more time than the 35-minute lunch period allows. After additional discussion with the student leader and agreement on expectations for ensuring an orderly and respectful event that fits within the allotted time, the principal approved the club’s request to host the speaker during its regular lunchtime meeting.”

The club and Cobb said that, with short notice, they would instead reschedule for next month. Acuff said Cobb has been approved as a future speaker.

But trans rights proponents counter that Cobb’s speech undermines students’ rights to identify as transgender and is tantamount to hate speech.

Acuff said the school division’s policy allows student organizations to host guest speakers on school grounds during non-instructional periods, and that is something that frequently occurs. The clubs make the request to the school principal and, Acuff said, those requests are “approved unless the principal believes the speaker would cause a disruption to the learning environment.”

“The policy also makes clear that access to school facilities may not be denied based on the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech that takes place during those meetings,” Acuff said.

Acuff noted that, “the club in question at Western Albemarle High School, Turning Point USA, previously hosted an outside speaker in May 2025 on the topic of abortion without incident or disruption.”

 

A controversial social media post

After Sublette permitted the club to schedule Cobb, Allison Spillman – the at-large representative to the school board and parent of a trans student at Western Albemarle – posted a message to her personal Facebook page that some viewed as comparing Turning Point USA to the Ku Klux Klan.

“As a school board member and proud parent of a trans student, I am beyond livid,” Spillman wrote. “In my opinion this is not a matter of free speech, it’s hate speech and has no place in our schools. If the KKK wanted a speaker during lunch, would we allow that as well?”

The post led to opponents calling for Spillman to resign.

She responded with a second post, this one on her public-facing Facebook page – Allison Spillman, Albemarle County School Board – addressing the controversy.

“My concern is and always has been about protecting students and ensuring our schools remain safe, inclusive environments,” Spillman wrote. “The remarks I made were aimed at the content of the invited speaker’s message, which I believe denies the identities of transgender students and contributes to a hostile environment for them.”

Spillman went on to clarify the KKK reference.

“In raising the example of the Ku Klux Klan, my intent was not to equate students involved in any club with that organization,” she wrote. “Rather, I was drawing a parallel about the principle of setting boundaries for outside speakers who promote harmful or exclusionary ideas. We would not invite openly racist or antisemitic speakers into our schools; similarly, we must question whether it is appropriate to host a speaker whose message invalidates the existence of transgender students.”

Acuff said that the school board has a code of conduct for members “emphasizing integrity, professionalism, and respect in all forms of communication and interaction.” It does not specifically reference social media posts, something Acuff said the board could consider updating in the future.

Asked if she thought Spillman should resign over the post, Acuff said, “School Board members are elected officials who are accountable to the voters who elected them. The Board’s Code of Conduct is aspirational and does not include sanctions or disciplinary authority for individual members. As Chair, my focus is on ensuring that the Board continues to conduct its work with professionalism and civility, consistent with our shared commitment to serving students and the community.”

 

Speaking at Thursday’s meeting

The public portion of Thursday’s meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Lane Auditorium in the Albemarle County Office Building.

According to school board policy, the maximum number of speakers at a single meeting is 20 and the maximum time allotted for public comments is 40 minutes, though the board has the option to go over that.

Anyone who is unable to speak at the meeting can submit a written statement or speak at a future meeting.

“The total time for public comment shall not exceed 40 minutes, unless the School Board decides to grant more time. When there are 13 or fewer speakers, each speaker will be allotted three minutes. If there are 14 or more speakers, each speaker will be allotted two minutes,” according to the policy.

People who wish to speak during the public comment period of the meeting must sign up in advance, either online or by calling the School Board Clerk’s office at 434-296-5820.

Signups remain open until Thursday at 2 p.m.

Students who sign up to speak may also be asked to show a student identification card or other documentation of their status as a student, before they are permitted to address the Board.

In anticipation of a large and potentially emotional turnout at the meeting, the board has been in contact with ACPD about the possibility of additional security.

“We’re prepared to manage the increased attendance and are working closely with our partners at the Albemarle County Police Department to ensure the meeting proceeds safely and smoothly for everyone in attendance,” Acuff said.