Parents and advocates urge board to abandon plan to repurpose Norfolk Highlands Primary, citing special-education and data concerns

During the board’s public-comment period on June 29, five speakers pressed the school board to reconsider plans to repurpose Norfolk Highlands Primary School as an early learning center and raised broader concerns about special-education compliance and transparency.

Dr. Crystal Fields, a parent, former special-education teacher and doctoral-trained applied behavioral analyst, told the board she supports early childhood education but not the current proposal. "I do not believe this current proposal is the best solution for students, families, or staff," she said, adding that a three-story building is not developmentally appropriate for preschool-age children and that concentrating resource staff could remove supports from the schools those children would leave. She asked the board to "reconsider the proposal and work with families to find solutions that support early childhood education while preserving Norfolk Highlands Primary School and the community it serves."

A first-grade student, Cameron, spoke about the emotional impact of changing schools: "I love my school. I love my teachers, my classroom, and my friends... starting at a new school can be scary for kids." His remarks were acknowledged by the chair and drew a lighter moment when board members presented a small gift.

Ozan Duran said his coalition collected more than 1,000 signatures opposing repurposing Norfolk Highlands and handed the board a packet of enrollment trends and VDOE data. He argued that Norfolk Highlands' enrollment had been increasing and that academic measures were above area and state averages, and warned the proposal would move students from an on-track school into schools already under capacity or academic pressure. "If Norfolk Highlands were failing, this would be different... But Norfolk Highlands is not failing," he said, and he accused the division of insufficient transparency into the analysis supporting the proposal.

Cheryl Poe, executive director of Advocating for Kids, framed her remarks around legal obligations for students with disabilities: "The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA, and section 504 are not optional services," she said, and described cases where families paid advocates because supports were not implemented at the school level. Poe cited examples of delayed 504 accommodation implementation and disputed disciplinary handling that she said had caused hardship for families.

Suzanne Gelnet gave a personal account of her child's year of multiple teacher turnovers and missed accommodations that she said led to repeated suspensions and ultimately to her family leaving the district. She said district investigations produced recommendations but no meaningful resolution for her family.

In response to public comment during board-member items, Superintendent Dr. Cotton said staff had proposed repurposing to address an identified shortage of early-learning space across the division and to reuse an existing facility rather than close it. He told the board the recommendation represents staff’s view of an efficient use of space but reiterated that the final decision rests with the board.

Speakers asked for more transparency and for the division to provide clear data and alternatives; no formal vote on Norfolk Highlands was taken at the meeting. The board recorded appreciation for the speakers and noted it would consider the public comments as part of future deliberations.