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The Accomack County School Board voted to terminate Dr. Rhonda Hall as Superintendent of Schools at a special meeting on Wednesday night, with the decision passing by a 5-4 vote.
Voting in favor of the termination were Board Chair Janet Martin Turner, Vice Chair Ed Taylor, Stefanie Jackson-Bowmann, Glenn Neal, and Jason Weippert. Opposing the measure were Dr. Lisa Johnson, Malcolm White, Camesha Handy, and Jesse Speidel.
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The termination is effective Friday. Dr. Hall will be paid for 180 days of work.
In a statement, Board Chair Janet Martin Turner said “The Accomack County School Board has made the decision to terminate the employment of Superintendent Rhonda Hall. This decision was made following a thorough review and consideration of various factors related to the leadership of our school district.
“We recognize the importance of an effective leadership team in fostering a positive educational environment for our students and staff. We believe it is in the best interest of the district to move forward with new leadership that aligns with our vision and goals.
“The Board is committed to ensuring a smooth transition and will be actively engaged in the search for a new superintendent. We appreciate the community’s understanding during this time and remain dedicated to providing our students with the highest quality education.
“We will keep the community informed as we move forward in this process. Thank you for your continued support of the Accomack County School Division.”
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Dr. Hall was reached by phone late Wednesday night and said she will be seeking legal recourse.
“I’m just numb, my rights were trampled on. I feel like I have been mistreated, so I will seek the legal recourse that I was denied tonight,” she said. “The problem is I love what I do, I love this school division, but I could never please this board. It didn’t matter what I did, I never got a ‘good job’ or a ‘thank you’ from them. I am just totally devastated.”
Dr. Hall had come under criticism over the past several weeks. The Virginia Department of Education criticized her for failing to cooperate with local law enforcement during a police investigation of a student’s alleged shooting threat, stating that her actions potentially jeopardized the safety of students and staff. State Superintendent Lisa Coons emphasized the need for improved communication with families regarding law enforcement requests for information and noted that the required threat assessment process was not followed, highlighting inconsistencies in the school administration’s response. In her defense, Hall responded that the incident was inaccurately reported as a threat and stemmed from a misunderstanding among students. She emphasized her commitment to safety through measures like metal detectors, School Security Officers, and staff training for threat assessments.
At a subsequent School Board meeting, community members expressed growing dissatisfaction with the administration’s cooperation with law enforcement and issues surrounding Dr. Hall, while others defended her. Sheriff Todd Wessells criticized the inconsistent provision of student information necessary for investigations, while supporters of Dr. Hall argued that her treatment by the board undermined community trust and called for a recall of Board Chair Janet Turner, as well as raising concerns about the failure to establish a required crisis assessment board.
News 3 reached to Dr. Hall and she provided the following statement:
“I don’t want the reality of the Board's actions in any way to adversely impact the positive things which have and are happening in Accomack County Schools. It was an honor to serve for 15 months.”
News 3’s Leondra Head reached out all of Accomack County’s school board members and Lisa Johnson provided the following statement:
“This is the first female superintendent, first African American superintendent. Every predecessor was male and mostly Caucasian. Race, gender and other factors are at play,”
“If I were in her shoes and I had two days to finish my career of over 30 years of serving in Accomack Public Schools from the classroom to administration, to central office to the highest office in the public school system, I would be devastated.”
