VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia House Speaker Don Scott says he was denied entry to a speaking engagement at First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach on Wednesday.
Scott said he was invited by his law partner, Jeffrey Breit, to join him in speaking to students at the legal studies academy, but said he feels he was not allowed into the school because he is a politician and he is Black.
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Scott says Breit asked him to join, but while he was on the way, Scott says, Breit called him to say the school was not allowing him to come because he had not been vetted and parents were not notified.
"I think it's all because of politics and it's all because of my race, unfortunately," he said in an interview Thursday with News 3.
Scott, a Democrat, became Virginia's first Black Speaker in 2024, but he says he was not planning to talk politics with the students.
"I was really going to talk about my experience as an attorney both civil and criminal. That would've been an opportunity for the kids. They missed out," he said.
The Virginia Beach NAACP has also now responded saying they're "outraged" Scott was denied the chance to speak.
WTKR News 3 reached out to VBCPS for comment. The school district shared the following statement:
A miscommunication occurred on March 26 about Virginia House Speaker Don Scott speaking to Legal Studies Academy students at First Colonial High School. This was a timing and processing issue that involved another person who was scheduled to speak.
Our staff correctly followed School Board Policy 6-10 [schoolboard.vbschools.com], which states: “Teachers shall obtain the permission and the advice of the principal or designee prior to extending any invitations to outside speakers.” This process was not followed.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools values its relationships with all our school partners, including elected officials, and consistently welcomes them into our schools. We are actively working to resolve the concern. In a letter to Mr. Scott on March 26, our superintendent apologized for the miscommunication and invited him to speak at First Colonial High School at a later date.
The letter from Superintendent Donald Robertson to Del. Scott can be read here.
"I'd be happy to come and speak to those kids and that class any time," said Scott. "I don't want to speak to those adults because I think they need some counseling, but I would be happy to speak to the students."
