ACCOMACK COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — The superintendent for Accomack County Public Schools was fired in split vote. In September, she was accused of interfering with local enforcement during an investigation, according to a letter from the Virginia Department of Education.
Superintendent Dr. Rhonda Hall was ousted in a 5-4 vote during an Accomack County Public School Board special meeting after only serving in her role for a year. She is the first Black person and the first woman to hold the position in Accomack County.
Hall had more than three decades of experience in Accomack County Public Schools. She served as assistant superintendent and interim superintendent before being hired as superintendent in 2023.
Additional details revealed a series of events leading into to Hall’s firing, including failure to follow protocol during an alleged threat, said Dr. Lisa Coons, Virginia Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction.
In a letter sent to Hall on Sept. 24, Coons stated that the school division failed to cooperate with local law enforcement on their investigation during an alleged threat as well as failed “to comply with applicable state law.”
Upon investigation, the letter states that the Accomack County Public Schools did not abide by section 22.1-79-4 of the Code of Virginia regarding the necessary creation of a threat assessment team.
There were also concerns regarding the failure to reach out to parents for permission in order to provide student demographic information to law enforcement officers without a subpoena, the letter reads. The actions were contrary to what is written in the Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, between the school division and the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office.
The MOU was also reportedly not posted on the division’s website, by the time the letter was sent, as required per state law.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.