Commission lays out 2026 teacher-summit program: judges, small-claims session and misinformation literacy

Commission planners outlined the agenda for the 2026 teacher summit, highlighting judicial panels, small‑claims court sessions and content to help teachers and students evaluate misinformation.

A presenter summarized the planned program: "At this point, we have locked in Justice Bill Mims, who will start at 08:30. We're going to try to start a half hour earlier because he teaches at Christopher Newport ... and then we have our two pundits that come in to talk about the election ... Bob Holdsworth here in Richmond and Quentin Kidd from Christopher Newport." The presenter also described proposals for a small‑claims court speaker, Supreme Court education materials and a three‑judge panel to walk teachers through jurisprudence from Marbury to Brown.

Commissioners recommended additional elements. One member suggested inviting the Attorney General's office to discuss the relationship between the AG and the judiciary; another recommended an interactive presentation in which an appeals-court justice would present a close-call case, ask the audience to vote and then explain the court’s outcome.

Several members urged the summit include a sustained emphasis on social‑media literacy, fact‑finding and how students can evaluate accuracy and bias. A commissioner noted that professional-development follow-up after the summit could help sustain the work, suggesting monthly or bimonthly sessions for educators tied to summit content.

The presenter said staff will continue to identify speakers and report back; commissioners asked staff and volunteers to draft a proposal on continuous engagement and summit logistics for discussion at the next meeting.