December 1, 2022

To the members of the State Board of Education,

We, the members of the Charlottesville School Board, are writing to request that the Board return to its usual process of consideration and approval of the state’s K-12 history standards as developed and recommended in August 2022 by history educators, professors, historians, parents, and others. We strongly encourage the VDOE to stay the course on its longstanding commitment to developing a more inclusive and honest curriculum.

The “August” Revisions

Throughout 2020-22, our Commonwealth trusted a committee of history educators, historians, museum professionals, parents, and community groups to conduct the scheduled seven-year revision of our state history standards. Over the course of two years, in a very public fashion, this committee made thoughtful and informed decisions. In addition, this work built upon the efforts and recommendations of Virginia’s 2020 African American History Education Commission. We would like the Board to follow its usual procedures to consider and then adopt these standards.

The “November” Alternate Standards

By contrast, the surprise alternate standards announced by the Youngkin administration on a Friday night in November were hastily developed by a consultant without public input and without the participation of the VDOE subject-area experts.This led to a number of ill-informed recommendations, such as omitting African American history to such a degree that not even Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was included in the original version. The idea that Virginia’s indigenous tribes and communities would be portrayed as “immigrants” is also inaccurate and offensive. Units of study about ancient China and Mali were both removed from the K-5 curriculum. These errors and omissions underscore the haste of the process, the lack of public review, and the political motivation to prioritize White, European perspectives. After the Board correctly rejected these November standards, there is now a consideration of merging the August and November standards, but a quick mash-up of the two sets will not lead to a thoughtful or cohesive curriculum.

A Shared Goal to Teach Our Whole History

The Governor has stated that his goal is “to teach our history, the good and the bad.” As parents, teachers, and students have recently shared in public comment, Virginians agree that our students should be learning whole-truth history that explores multiple perspectives and experiences. The best way to do that is to consider and adopt the original August recommendations and to follow the VDOE’s own time-honored approval processes.

This past spring in Charlottesville, a group of fourth-grade students at Clark Elementary explored our own schools’ desegregation story and then wrote letters to members of the Charlottesville 12, those Black students who bravely integrated all-white schools in 1959. As part of the students’ letters, one common theme emerged: “It was hard to learn this history, but I am glad we did.” Please take the steps to assure that Virginia’s students continue to have access to a curriculum that is challenging but rewarding, one that builds understanding, empathy, and a sense of connectedness to the people of our past, present, and future. Thank you for your service!

Charlottesville City School Board

Lisa Larson-Torres, Chair
James Bryant, Vice-Chair
Lashundra Bryson Morsberger
Emily Dooley
Sherry Kraft
Jennifer McKeever
Dom Morse

On Friday night, November 11, 2022, Gov. Youngkin’s administration released an alternate set of proposed history standards for K-12 students in Virginia. The governor’s proposed new standards would replace the draft learning standards developed by state and local social studies leaders, community groups, parents, social studies teachers, university professors, museum specialists, and historians  in August 2022. The August standards were created over a two-year process, and social studies leaders consider the August version of the social studies standards to be more inclusive and more aligned with teaching whole truth history.

By contrast, some have described Gov. Youngkin’s standards as regressive in nature and Eurocentric. Historians, history leaders, and community members have accused the Youngkin administration of “whitewashing” in the alternate standards made this November. For instance, Gov. Youngkin’s new standards remove the curriculum changes that were implemented as part of the 2020 African American History Education Commission. Additionally, the November standards removed all Mali and Ancient China from the Elementary standards. Indigenous communities across the state have spoken against the new standards referring to indigenous groups as “the nation’s first immigrants.” Critics say that in addition to taking a step backwards towards yesteryear’s history standards, the Youngkin administration is not following best practices for transparency, adhering to previous approval processes, or allowing adequate time for review.

Following an outcry at a public hearing on Thursday, the Virginia Board of Education has asked for a slow-down to the process. They have requested that the Youngkin administration revise their draft standards, and they have requested a comparison chart for (A) the existing 2015 standards, (B) the August revisions recommended by historians and social studies leaders, and (C) the standards proposed by the Youngkin administration. The Board’s request to combine the Youngkin standards with previous state standards fell short of some critics’ request to simply return to the August 2022 recommendations of historians/history teachers. There will be additional review processes to come. The Board is anticipated to vote on the revisions sometime this winter.

For clarity, the history standards are updated at least every seven years, and most revisions are put out for public comment and then approved (sometimes with corrections or edits) by the Virginia Board of Education.

Timeline:

• 2015: Virginia’s K-12 history standards updated
• 2020: African American History Education Commission (AAHEC) makes recommendations for more inclusive history, which are then incorporated.
• August 2022: Historians/history teachers make their recommended 7-year updates to the standards, maintaining and expanding the recommendations of the AAHEC
• Fall 2022: Youngkin administration delays approval of the 7-year update
• Nov 11, 2022: Youngkin administration  releases alternative history standards created by the Youngkin administration and paid consultants and sets aside usual processes
• Nov 17, 2022: After outcry at public hearing, Virginia Board of Education slows down the approval process for the Youngkin administration’s standards, asks for revisions to the Youngkin standards, and requests comparison chart showing the 2015 standards, the historians’ proposed 2022 revisions, and the Youngkin administration’s alternative standards

This page gives links to recent reporting and statements about the process, as well as some action steps for people to give feedback about the process or the Governor’s proposed history standards.

Links to Reporting and Draft Standards

• “Va. education board delays review of new history and social studies standards” (Washington Post, November 17, 2022)
• “New draft history standards reorient framing of race relations” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 16, 2022)
• “Youngkin administration releases new draft history standards” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 14, 2022)
• “Virginia education department proposes major changes to social studies standards” (Washington Post, November 12, 2022)
• Statement of Concern from the National Council for Social Studies (November 16, 2022)
• Standards proposed by the Youngkin administration (November 11, 2022)
• Original standards developed by historians and history teachers (Fall 2022) Note: the cross-outs and mark-ups are showing the deletions and additions that the historians recommended to the states’ previous (current) standards. The Youngkin administration’s standards are an entirely new and separate document.

Want to Share Your Voice? Consider These Steps

1. Stay tuned with this process.

2. As developments emerge, you can email comments to emily.webb@doe.virginia.gov, boe@doe.virginia.gov, superintendent@doe.virginia.gov, and aimee.guidera@governor.virginia.gov.

Like many communities, universities, and K-12 schools across the country, Charlottesville City Schools is aware that our schools’ names send a message to our students, staff, and community and should therefore reflect our values.

Update on School Names

After two years of public feedback, the division’s Naming of Facilities Committee is recommending new names for the first two schools discussed. Although the committee considered keeping or modifying the names Venable and Clark, in the end, members decided that maintaining the original names in any way would continue to uphold the original, problematic namesakes. The final step of the process was for third and fourth graders at the two schools to vote:

• At Venable, students selected Trailblazers Elementary by a wide margin. The name:
  • honors the Charlottesville 12, their parents, and other early Cville Schools desegregation heroes 
  • is an invitation for students to continue blazing new trails today. 
• At Clark, students chose Friendship Elementary by a narrow margin. 
  • The name Friendship Elementary honors the relationships that are at the heart of a school and references the current name of Friendship Court, which anchors the school in a geographic place that is home to many Clark students. The name of Friendship Court is subject to change as part of the facility’s redesign.
  • The second-place vote at Clark was Summit Elementary, which evoked the school’s mountain views and the goal of encouraging students to reach new heights. 

History

• The Naming of Facilities Committee was formed in 2020. You can find information about their past meetings and work below.
• After a pandemic pause, the division’s Naming of Facilities Committee  (formed of teachers, parents, administrators, community members, etc.) resumed work this year. The first schools they are focused on are Clark and Venable.

What’s Being Decided?

• After two years of forums, surveys, conversations and more, the committee recently made the decision to select new names for both Clark and Venable and has committed to not selecting names that honor individuals. At the last community forum (Oct. 19), participants directed the committee to send any final questions back to the schools for input, so 3rd- and 4th-graders are holding elections on the possible new names.
• At Venable, the final two options were Trailblazers Elementary (in honor of the Venable 9, their parents, and other early Cville Schools desegregation pioneers AND in the spirit of encouraging our students to continue blazing new trails) and 14th Street Elementary (in honor of the street where the school is located, as a geographic connection to the school’s Civil Rights history).
• At Clark, the final two options are Friendship Elementary (for the relationships that are at the heart of our schools and the Friendship Court neighborhood where so many Clark students live) and Summit Elementary (since Clark sits on a hilltop with views of the summits of the Blue Ridge Mountains and since reaching a summit evokes the idea of accomplishing goals and reaching new heights).
• Students at both schools also have the option of write-in votes.

What Was the Community Input?

• As reflected in the October 2022 survey, there was an overwhelming majority of people in the community who felt that the schools should no longer maintain a connection with their original namesakes. There was mixed opinion about whether to select brand-new names or “repurpose” the names Clark and Venable and find new namesakes. Ultimately the committee decided that to maintain the names – even with new namesakes – would uphold the connection to two people who directly enslaved people, perpetuated damaging myths about slavery, and/or led in the genocide against Native Americans.
• At the community forum on October 19, 2022, participants directed the committee to use their own judgment and to see further input from the schools for any remaining questions.
• Venable third- and fourth-graders voted during the week of November 7; Clark third- and fourth-graders will vote on November 21.

School Names Committee

Beginning in the fall of 2020, the superintendent convened a committee to review our schools’ names. The committee took a pause to address the pandemic, a new superintendent, and other matters, but is now resuming work. Updates from the committee will be posted to this page. 

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Resources for the Committee

Community member Phil Varner has compiled historical resources and information on our schools’ namesakes and the original process for naming our schools. You can find a brief introduction to the namesakes and a 56-page research compilation.

If you have additional materials that you believe are relevant and helpful, please email schoolnames@charlottesvilleschools.org so that this process can be as informed and complete as possible.

Notes from Committee Meetings (listed oldest to most recent)

• Notes from first committee meeting (October 15, 2020)
• Notes from the second committee meeting (November 12, 2020)
  • Slides from second meeting
• Presentation to School Board on Process (April 1, 2021)
• Notes and information from the Community Forum on Clark/Venable (May 3, 2021)
• Notes from the third committee meeting (March 21, 2022)

Reporting/Media Coverage

City schools to review names of Clark, Venable elementaries first (Daily Progress, April 29, 2021)

Thanks to all the people (more than 1200!) who filled out the recent calendar survey about our initial draft calendar. We received divided feedback about the various elements of the draft calendar, including the idea of starting a week earlier, having a week off at Thanksgiving, and how important it is to mirror Albemarle County Public Schools’ calendar.

As a result, we are going to hit “pause” on the bigger changes. One theme of the community feedback was “if you’re going to make these larger changes to the calendar, we’d need more advanced notice.” Therefore, our calendar committee will resume work this spring to gather feedback about options for the 2024-25 school year.

We will present a more traditional calendar for the Board on December 1 (the soonest the Board will vote will be January 5).  This revised draft calendar aligns more closely (but not perfectly) with ACPS’s Draft Calendar 1 (one of two calendars they have proposed). You can give your feedback on this draft of the calendar, below.  Find a printable PDF of the revised calendar here.

Complete our Second Calendar Survey

Comments about the calendar:

• Spring break: Our practice is to designate the first full week of April as our spring break. We are sometimes asked, “Can’t you align spring break with U.Va.’s?”   U.Va.’s spring break is typically near the beginning of March, which for K-12 students would make for a very long stretch without a break later in the spring. So while we recognize that this would be a good solution for U.Va. families, we feel that it doesn’t represent the interests of all our students and staff. A 2016 survey indicated that a majority of respondents favored keeping spring break during the first week of April.
• Religious Holidays: Our practice is not to observe religious holidays as school holidays (but we do try to avoid scheduling special events on major religious holidays). Students or staff who wish to be absent to observe a religious holiday are encouraged to do so.
• History about the calendar development: For over a decade, the Charlottesville and Albemarle County school divisions have worked together for a common calendar, although the two calendars are not always identical. A joint committee works together to create draft calendars, and then we ask for input from students, teachers, administration, and parents. If necessary, the committee makes revisions to the drafts before submitting the recommended calendar(s) to the two school boards for approval. In November 2022, ACPS indicated that developing a shared calendar is not a priority for 2023-24.

EdZone program begins impacting Charlottesville youth through distribution of essential needs items

Charlottesville, VA — On Wednesday, November 30th, the Chris Long Foundation and Charlottesville City Schools officially launched the latest component of the Foundation’s new EdZone program: the distribution of essential needs items at all six CCS elementary schools during the 2022-2023 school year.

Each elementary school (Burnley-Moran, Clark, Greenbrier, Jackson-Via, Johnson, Venable) will identify a dedicated space (an “EdZone closet”) where students can access basic supplies that many other students take for granted. Essential needs items include things like soap, shampoo, a toothbrush and toothpaste, menstrual hygiene products, deodorant, clean socks and underwear, and seasonal items like umbrellas, hats, and gloves.

In close consultation with participating schools to assess and determine student needs, CCS’ Coordinator of Family and Student Engagement will procure and distribute these essential needs items to the elementary schools through a central storeroom at the CCS Division Administrative Annex at Charlottesville High School. Elementary school students in need will be identified by professional staff who are already supporting them on a daily basis (e.g., school administrators, teachers, counselors, nurses, social workers) and can help them access items from the EdZone closet in a way that respects their dignity and privacy. The Foundation has future plans to support periodic drive-through “Response to Essential Needs” events at Charlottesville High School, where all CCS families can pick up bags of essential needs items and grocery cards.

“There’s evidence that students who are not getting these basic needs met can suffer from stress and low self-esteem. It can cause them to feel disconnected from their classmates and even miss school, all of which affects how they feel about being at school and ultimately, their performance,” said Chris Long, founder of the Chris Long Foundation. “The goal of our EdZone partnership with CCS is to support student success by ensuring kids arrive at school comfortable, confident, and ready to learn.”

“We are so appreciative of the support from the Chris Long Foundation, with their vision for meeting students’ needs in ways that are respectful. The EdZone closets will make a big impact,” commented Chantel Beverly, principal at Venable Elementary School, which is hosting the program launch.

Superintendent Dr. Royal Gurley agreed: “When I arrived at Charlottesville City Schools last year, the wide diversity of our students’ experiences was immediately apparent. One step toward eradicating academic disparities is to truly make our students feel welcome, supported, and equipped to succeed. We thank Chris Long and the Foundation for being such good partners in this work.”

A generous group of local individual donors, foundations, and businesses stepped up to fully fund the launch of EdZone. Funders include Better Living Building Supply, Woodard Properties, Diane and Howie Long, Pam and Frank Edmonds, the Genan Foundation, Ellen and Michael Geismar, and Frank Saul Construction.

EdZone is the newest program created by the Chris Long Foundation to advance educational equity issues in communities around the United States. Over the next year the program will expand to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and St. Louis, Missouri, two cities where Long played in the NFL. EdZone also distributes high-quality, culturally-relevant books in schools to advance student literacy and develop a lifelong love of reading. In May 2022, in partnership with FirstBook and Charlottesville City Schools, the Foundation distributed over 2,500 books at Burnley-Moran Elementary School. Chris Long served as a guest reader for the event and engaged with students about his own school experience, his family and interests, and his time in the NFL. The Foundation also supported two CCS “Response to Essential Needs” drive-through events in December 2020 and December 2021.

About the Chris Long Foundation
The Chris Long Foundation is a nonprofit, founded by two-time Super Bowl Champion and 2018 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year, Chris Long. By bringing together a community of elite athletes and passionate fans, the Chris Long Foundation relentlessly serves our overlooked neighbors, both domestic and international, by creating solutions for clean water and education access. Visit www.chrislongfoundation.org to find out more.

About Charlottesville City Schools
Charlottesville City Schools serves approximately 4500 students in nine schools, from three-year-olds in preschool to students who qualify for services after high school. By meeting each student’s personal and academic needs, the schools are committed to ending the predictability of life outcomes based on factors such as race and poverty. Learn more at charlottesvilleschools.org.

For over 50 years CATEC has successfully existed as a joint operation between ACPS and CCS as equal financial partners, all as documented by our written partnership agreement that dates back to 1969.

This is further evidenced by our recent investment of millions of dollars into the physical infrastructure that comprises the CATEC facility, not to mention our continuous investment in CATEC’s curriculum and operations.

To date, we have had surface level discussions with ACPS which resulted in our having questions on behalf of our students around the future operation and governance of CATEC in the event of a change in ownership.

We were scheduled to meet with ACPS about this last month, but they abruptly cancelled that meeting. They have yet to reschedule or to address those concerns.

We are very perplexed that ACPS’ next step was to make an announcement to the media and participate without us—their partner—the October 21 Daily Progress article.

At no time did we understand from ACPS that their decision is predicated on modernizing the facility; if that were the case, surely we, as ACPS’ equal financial partner, would have been brought into that discussion.

Rather, we understand that, while there is some intent to modernize the campus, ACPS has bigger plans for its own expansion into the space. In any further reporting on this issue we encourage reporters to speak directly to ACPS about its specific plans.

We are hopeful for the future inclusion of CCS students, but how CCS students would be successfully integrated is unclear. For instance, something as simple as a bell schedule change could significantly reduce CHS students’ access to programming.

We have engaged licensed appraisers to help us value the real estate, personal property, and goodwill which comprise CATEC; this is contemplated by our long standing 1969 agreement and its intentional way of handling either party’s interest in leaving the partnership.

These steps will help us evaluate any offer ACPS brings, as well as potentially exercising our other options under the 1969 agreement.

As always, CCS will continue to prioritize our student’s needs as we continue to work to deliver quality educational programming for all of our stakeholders.

–Charlottesville School Board
October 21, 2022