Former Accomack County superintendent blindsided by firing

ACCOMACK COUNTY, Va. — In an exclusive interview with News 3, former Accomack County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rhonda Hall said she was stunned by the news she was fired. The decision came after Wednesday’s special school board meeting, where board members voted 5-4 to fire her as superintendent.

“I found out about it an hour or two before the match started through gossip. It’s very devastating. This was not the way I wanted to end my career in Accomack County, a school district that I love,” Dr. Hall said. .

In a statement, ACPS school board chairwoman Janet Turner said in part:

Watch: Rally in support of fired Accomack County Public Schools superintendent

People attend a rally in support of the fired principal of Accomack County Public Schools

“When you say you’re looking for a leader who is more aligned with these goals, my question is what are those goals? What am I missing?” Dr. Hall said.

Dr. Hall is the first black person to serve as superintendent in Accomack County. She has been associated with ACPS for 36 years. Dr. Hall says she started as a teacher in the district and then rose through the ranks from principal to superintendent.

Recently, the Virginia Department of Education criticized Dr. Hall for her actions as superintendent. In the letter, the department called for Dr. Hall to be disciplined for failing to cooperate with law enforcement during an investigation into an alleged shooting threat made by a student.
The letter stated that her actions potentially endangered the safety of students and staff.

Watch: Accomack County Public Schools superintendent fired amid recent criticism

The superintendent of Accomack County Public Schools has been fired amid recent criticism

In Dr. Hall’s defense, he claims the incident was wrongly reported as a threat.

“It was a conversation between two students and there was never any threat. If you’re in kindergarten and you say I’m going to shoot you, we do a threat assessment on that child. We don’t take anything lightly.” Dr. Hall said. “So to insinuate that I was putting children at risk was very hurtful.”

Community members in Accomack County gathered to support Dr. Hall on Friday afternoon. Change.org petitioncalls began to be made for the district to reinstate Dr. Hall. It has already collected over 200 signatures.

“We cannot apologize when it comes to justice. I have never in my career encountered anyone who was relieved of his duties without cause,” said Dr. James Fedderman, an employee of Accomack County Public Schools.

The petition also calls for honesty, transparency and accountability in decision-making in Accomack County Public Schools. As for Dr. Hall, he says he’s looking forward to what’s next.