CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Two Chesapeake School Board members have said they will not be at the special meeting that is set for Friday, December 31.
This meeting comes after a decision was made back on December 15 where the school board voted to not require students to wear masks in the building starting January 3, 2022.
Since that decision COVID-19 cases have hit record highs in Virginia and pediatric cases of COVID-19 are also on the rise so a special meeting has been planned Friday to review recent COVID-19 data and discuss any possible necessary response.
On Thursday, Christie New Craig and Harry Murphy said they will not be at the meeting.
Christie New Craig posted on Facebook Thursday evening announcing she will not be at the meeting. Craig said, "I WILL NOT attend (I am out of town) and I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS!! MY WORD IS MY WORD! I WILL ALWAYS LEAD FROM THE FRONT! I never thought I would say this but, homeschool, or charter schools because public schools are just government controlled schools… parents have no say so… even after 11/2/2021!"
Harry Murphy also posted on Facebook saying he would be out of town. His post said, "There will be an emergency meeting of the Chesapeake School Board at 4:00 PM Friday, December 31, 2021 to review recent COVID-19 data and discuss any necessary response. I will be on a plane tomorrow afternoon preventing me from participating even remotely."
On Thursday the Chesapeake Education Association also gave News 3 a statement saying, "After the announcement of the Chesapeake Public Schools to conduct a special School Board meeting on December 31, 2021, the Chesapeake Education Association urges leadership at all levels in Chesapeake Public Schools, including our School Board, to support the health and safety of all students, employees, and their families. We must follow CDC guidelines for mitigation strategies to the fullest extent possible, which include masking.”
There must be a majority of members present at the meeting which would be five of nine in order to constitute a quorum.
