Chesapeake Advocates for All

🚨 Only a few hours left to take the survey about the 2024-2025 Chesapeake Public Schools calendar!! 🚨
(closes tonight!)

➡️ Survey here: https://www.cpschools.com/page/community-surveys

Notably, we were not given the option to start before Labor Day, like on last year's survey.

Do you think it's time we align with our neighboring school districts, and 82% of the country, which start school before Labor Day ... which affords them more time off during the school year and schedules that usually end before the end of May? https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/25/back-to-school-dates-u-s/

There are only 3 questions asked on this year's survey:
1️⃣ What do you like about the proposed calendar?
2️⃣ What do you not like about the proposed calendar
3️⃣ What do you think needs to be considered in addition to the calendar principles when designing an academic calendar?

Of note: we are only afforded 500 characters in each response box... so write wisely!

The school board is meeting tonight! Want to follow along? Here's a link to a live feed on YouTube!

School Board Meeting: Monday, September 11, 2023

‼️WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION NOW!! ‼️

As some of you may have heard, TONIGHT, the CPS School Board is set to vote on a proposed policy revision that will impact what organizations can use school facilities for meetings.

This issue stems from the uproar about the After School Satan Club applying for building use last school year. Because the law was on the side of the club, the School Board made a choice to travel down the road of allowing no facility use for what is currently defined as “non-exempt” organizations because, as one board member stated, “We shouldn’t be in the business of being a landlord.”

What some Board members did not realize at the time of that vote was that there are dozens of organizations that provide critical services to Chesapeake students that, by current policy definition, fall under the same category as the ASSC. These include wrestling clubs; Girls on the Run; Crew clubs; Choir, Band and Orchestra associations; and various other entities that really are so important to our kids. The Board took action without having the full picture and now they’ve backed themselves into a corner. The policy on the table would remove all these clubs from school facilities, unless the School Board changes or clarifies the definition of eligible clubs.

‼️Here’s the call to action!!‼️Please send emails to every member of the school board TODAY, asking them to delay action on this vote! They are not required to vote on this matter tonight and they should not do so, until they clearly define what clubs and organizations would be impacted! We believe they are coming to understand the consequences of their knee-jerk reaction, but we need to make sure they know that Chesapeake residents are on the side of keeping these critical clubs in our schools!

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It was a rough 10 days but, we made it Chesapeake! 🤣

Thanks to City of Chesapeake Government social media team for the transparency and frequent updates!!

The final inspection of the Rt. 168 Bypass Bridge is now complete and Public Works has reopened all lanes on the southbound bridge. Once again, thank you for your patience as crews worked around the clock to repair the damage to the bridge.

While not directly related to Chesapeake Public Schools, we felt this post was important to share as the significant traffic delays we are experiencing across the City of Chesapeake are also impacting the ability of staff, students and parents to be able to access our schools using routine routes and time estimates.

Please stay informed by checking the city FB page for updates or by signing up for text alerts as mentioned in this shared post. The repairs are expected to take approximately 30 days….

Rt. 168 Bridge Update: While the bridge remains safe for travel overall, the City is working alongside our engineering consultant to refine the necessary vehicle weight restrictions on the bridge during the repair project. We are also developing traffic plans to allow as much traffic as safely possible on the bridge when no work is underway. More information on changes to the traffic plan, including the potential to open a second lane at select times, will be released as it is confirmed. To stay up-to-date, text 168BRIDGE to 888777 to receive regular text updates on the project. For more information visit www.CityOfChesapeake.net/168Bridge

💜💐It's that time of the year again! 📒🖍

Staff Appreciation Week is next week, May 8th - 12th! We encourage you to take the time to participate in any way possible with your own schools' efforts, or you can send a quick word of gratitude using the form Chesapeake Public Schools has created to deliver messages to the staff of your choosing: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNHUpVJBcR-89QzS3p-6oAIeJLrY8Br4SF5neqeei1Z0RSag/viewform

❓What's one way you plan to show appreciation for the public school staff members in your lives? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

🎉 May 8-12, 2023, is Teacher Appreciation Week!🎉

We can't wait to celebrate our amazing teachers because they are "hands down THE BEST!" We hope you will join us in celebrating the 👏🏼applause-worthy work👏🏼 they perform each day in and out of the classroom!

You can even start now by sending a virtual message of gratitude and appreciation to a teacher by visiting: https://forms.gle/VXUfsdmp8Ead9r4C6 Your message will be delivered with care to your teacher and could also be featured on our website or social media channels! For more information visit: https://cpschools.com/2023-teacher-appreciation-week/

Don't forget to check with your school or PTA to see if they have other special celebrations planned. 🎉

A wonderful testament to public school teachers!! They put so much love and work into students, and are so rarely recognized for these selfless efforts.

🍎 Adults: we encourage you to find and connect with one (or more!) of your teachers from when you were a kid, tag them below ⬇️ and let them know what an impression they made in your life.

🍎 Current students: it’s never a bad time to share a few words of gratitude with your teachers!!

Teacher reacts to shoutout at 2023 Oscars from 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' director "Everything Everywhere All at Once" director Daniel Scheinert thanked teachers in his acceptance speech.

Chesapeake Public Schools "Facilities Use" Policy Revision from the February 27th, 2023 School Board Meeting summary:

At Monday night’s school board meeting, the board voted on a new building use policy that was presented at the meeting on Feb 13th. This policy makes some significant changes to the old policy in order to address concerns with building use by the After School Satan Club, but much of it also remains the same. Here are the majors changes:

➡️ All leaders, volunteers, etc with each non-exempt (ie, not school or government related entity) organization using CPS facilities must have a background check; the files related to that can be requested at any time by CPS
➡️ Staging or decorations for the meetings can’t deface school property, have to meet fire codes, and must be approved by building admin
➡️ No storage of trailers on CPS property between meetings
No storage of materials related to the meetings inside the building, no requests for storage space in the school
➡️ No use of school names or the CPS logo on any promotional material unless given permission in advance
➡️ Entrance to the building must be monitored by an adult (21+) during the event (this is the only change to the security requirements)
➡️ Each organization must keep a roster of members which can be requested at any time during the rental period
➡️ Building use during the week will be limited to 6pm-10pm
Clarification related to payment of CPS staff who need to be present at times outside of normal working hours

⭐️ In addition to these changes to the current policy, Mr. Mercer proposed a few further qualifications to the new policy as it goes into effect. These were:
1️⃣ The current moratorium on building use permits be ended
2️⃣ New applicants for building use will have to abide by the new policy
3️⃣ Organizations with current permits will have 60 days to abide by the new policies, unless otherwise contractually prohibited (the new provision that will be the biggest impact is the need to meet after 6pm on school days; current clubs will not be grandfathered in)
4️⃣ The Superintendent is directed to figure out a way to allow non-school groups to meet closer to dismissal time rather than the 6pm or later provision in place in the new rules

🌟 This new policy, with Mr. Mercer’s implementation terms, passed by a vote of 5-4. The five members voting for the policy were Ms. Swygert, Mr. Mercer, Mr. Lamonea, Mr. Pool, and Ms. Scott. Their reasons were wide-ranging, but overall, they seemed to feel that a minority of citizens upset about the inclusion of the After School Satan Club in the approved use of CPS facilities should not preclude all the other clubs from continuing to provide a service to CPS students. Ms. Swygert rightfully reminded everyone that no one can attend any of these clubs without express permission from their parents.

🌟 The four members opposed to the club were Mr. McCormick, Mr. Boone, Dr. Walker, and Ms. Dean. Ms. Dean expressed sentiments about not wanting the ASSC to be allowed to use the buildings because of her faith. All four members against the new policy expressed that they believed CPS “should not be in the business of being landlords” because they feel it is out of step with CPS’s mission to educate kids. They believe CPS should not host any entities that are not school-related.

👉 The bottom line is that CPS had a choice between all or none when it comes to allowing outside entities to use CPS facilities for meetings. The majority of the board voted to approve continued use under new guidelines, rightfully assessing the fact that these outside clubs provide a useful service to the kids of Chesapeake and that removing all of them in order to follow the law would be a detriment to our town and students.

News articles about the vote:
https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/chesapeake/chesapeake-school-board-votes-change-facility-policies-satan-club/291-fb9b3487-da0c-42ff-b03d-06de14019422?fbclid=IwAR0HcEXXOGz7PoN2WvlNJy7_lrrnZmWeW18FVddFre_gO0pBjgkeHYXPUm0

https://www.wtkr.com/news/chesapeake-school-board-discussing-facility-use-at-monday-night-meeting?fbclid=IwAR0OHGcTypPJ0eDI9Q4kKtSchWUeNsWC4mmXnW0h1VCZ_2F142udDOVej3g

Chesapeake Public School Board -
Summary of February 27th, 2023 Meeting:

⭐️ This meeting was jam packed with activity with many high school athletes and PTA Reflections winners being honored, as well as over 30 speakers from the public addressing the board.

🗓 There were 3 important takeaways we wanted to highlight here to make this information more easily accessible:

1️⃣ Three CPS middle schools (Oscar Smith Middle School, Hickory Middle School and Western Branch Middle School) will pilot a new block class schedule for the 2023-2024 school year. (Details in pictures with this post)
2️⃣ 2023 Summer School Schedule and locations announced! (Info in pictures with this post)
3️⃣ The school board voted on an updated “Facilities Use” policy affecting any non-school sponsored clubs that rent a CPS building for use after school hours. This has been a hotly contested issue recently, particularly as it relates to the After School Satan Club. ➡️ We will have a more detailed post listing the changes along with pictures of slides presented in a post tomorrow. Stay tuned!

What are your thoughts on the middle school block class schedule? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Share this post with others in the Chesapeake Public Schools community to help everyone be better informed, engaged and empowered!

📣 YOUR VOICE MATTERS! 💬

‼️ The multiple bomb threats to B.M. Williams Primary School and death threats against the ASSC volunteer, ACLU lawyer, and our own superintendent, Dr. Cotton, this week have been absolutely abhorrent. These were in direct response to Chesapeake Public Schools merely following the laws of our country, which have been reaffirmed by Supreme Court precedent that determined that religious organizations couldn’t be kept from meeting in government buildings simply because of the content of their programs, and that to do so violated their First Amendment right to free speech.

➡️ Dr. Cotton and the Chesapeake School Board are feeling immense pressure to try to cancel or otherwise limit the After School Satan Club (ASSC) from existing in CPS and it is imperative that they hear praise and positivity from those of us who support the fair enforcement of freedom of religion and freedom of speech in this country.

🙏 We have a diverse membership and realize that many who follow this page have deeply held religious beliefs. We encourage you to consider writing to Dr. Cotton and the school board to let them know - this is not about agreeing with The Satanic Temple or After School Satan Club itself - it is a matter of upholding our foundational principles as a country that there should be no discrimination based on religion.

❤️ They deserve, and need, our praise and support right now for making the morally, and legally, right decision to afford ASSC the same access to CPS facilities as other organizations. Please take just a few minutes to do this.
✨It really does matter and make a difference.✨

📬 Send to:
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There are no words strong enough to denounce these disgusting acts perpetrated in our city today. Our thoughts go out to all those whose lives were threatened, especially those of our own Superintendent and the many innocent children at B.M. Williams. We trust both local law enforcement and the FBI to hold the guilty party responsible and remain committed to the rights of all citizens of the city of Chesapeake.

B.M. Williams, homes of Chesapeake Supt., Satan Club volunteer & ACLU of Va. lawyer receive bomb threat The threat was also made towards a Satan Club volunteer, a Senior Staff Attorney for ACLU of Virginia, and the Chesapeake Schools Superintendent.

📣 Great news to report tonight! Chesapeake Public Schools is now allowing the After School Satan Club (ASSC) to hold meetings in one of their schools, after hours.

This is a welcome development after it was uncovered that CPS was planning to charge the ASSC facility-use charges and a security fee, both of which were not charged to other similar organizations, like the religious Good News Club.

Wisely wanting to avoid litigation, CPS reversed course, withdrew their imposed requirement of those fees, and updated policies to treat all non-school affiliated groups equally by prohibiting the use of school facilities before 6pm.

Just as our constitution, and Supreme Court precedents set forth: there can be no discrimination based on religion. (For those unaware, The Satanic Temple is recognized as a non-theist religion, just like Buddhism.).

What are your thoughts?

Read the articles about it here ⬇️⬇️⬇️
💬 https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/after-school-satan-club-to-hold-1st-meeting-at-chesapeake-primary-school/?fbclid=IwAR0sTwi2orjYWG7lLzvPQSZGKAFTsfcbPLcrOBwkWDV355cKeI7DHg075A4&mibextid=tejx2t
💬 https://www.pilotonline.com/news/education/vp-nw-satan-club-meeting-20230216-3l6mwnghyjgg5omzjs2o2yc26y-story.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Breaking%20News&utm_content=6251676598125
💬 https://www.acluva.org/en/press-releases/after-school-satan-club-holds-first-meeting-chesapeake-public-school?fbclid=IwAR1nIDDJlS5xZQOMNXDKgTS3lRYbmKOVmVpKaTn7SgCGVOGdnOdXGjXMKYY