The move has left legislative leaders curious if similar proposals could occur at other school divisions around the region and beyond, as school leaders continue to be challenged by the public and face investigations for their decisions.
“I think that our superintendents do not want to have to spend their very scarce resources on something like this,” said Del. Laura Jane Cohen, a former Fairfax County school board member. “And I honestly believe, if you see this in Fairfax County, it is highly likely that these threats are happening all over the country.”
The Mercury confirmed that school divisions in Falls Church City, and the counties of Loudoun, Prince William, Rapphannock and Frederick have not appropriated funds specifically for their superintendent’s security.
Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest school division in the commonwealth, is likely the first to take such action. In a statement, FCPS told reporters that the “highly publicized tragic events around the country over the last several months illustrate the need to intensify and enhance security protocols at all organizations.”
Fairfax’s policy decisions have made targets of Superintendent Michelle Reid, the school board, and even staff, dating back as far as the pandemic. Chief among its critics have been parents, lawmakers and Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration.
Some of the board’s decisions include overhauling school admissions at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology to promote greater diversity and resisting statewide transgender policies that would have forced schools to out transgender students or restrict pronoun use.
Fairfax, along with four other school divisions — Alexandria City, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William — was also the subject of a federal investigation that determined their gender policies violated Title IX. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights proposed that the divisions rescind their policies and adopt biology-based definitions of the words “male” and “female” in all practices and policies relating to Title IX.
The division is also facing a criminal investigation after school staff were alleged to have helped minors get abortions without parental consent. Reid has denied the allegations.
The division did not immediately respond to questioning.
The Decision
Cohen said threats against school board members have stretched back to her time on the board between 2020 and 2023. During those years, she said someone would be assigned to follow her to her car or from other buildings.
Cohen said she feels confident in the office’s decision, given their assistance with her own security while she was on the board. She faced threats and successfully had a petition against her removal dismissed.
“If there are credible threats on her life, not only do you want to make sure that she’s protected, but you want to make sure that every time she goes into a school or is meeting with anybody that she is not a liability,” Cohen said.
In July, FCPS posted the job opening for an “executive protection agent” to work on a 260-day contract. The job would pay between $84,000-$144,000 per year.
The job posting reads that the agent is responsible for “ensuring the personal safety, security, and operational continuity of the division superintendent across school campuses, public events, official travel, and private residences. This role requires discretion, professionalism, proactive risk management, and continuous coordination with internal stakeholders and external partners, including law enforcement.”
During the same month, the school board met to discuss “public safety matters” and to “dispense with the attendance of the superintendent” during a portion of the closed session on July 17.
Following the job posting’s publication, WJLA reported that the security detail could consist of up to four positions.
The Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) and School Board Member Alliance (SBMA) did not directly answer if they have concerns that Fairfax’s decision will set a precedent for hiring superintendents.
Instead, Gina Patterson, VSBA executive director, said in a statement that the decision made by the Fairfax County School Board is an example of their local control.
“If the board and superintendent determined that this course of action was appropriate, it reflects their judgment on what they believe to be in the best interest of both their superintendent and their school division,” Patterson said.
In contrast, Shelly Norden, SBMA executive director, said the alliance believes the school board should instead prioritize more security officers at Fairfax’s elementary schools before the superintendent, costing the division at least $424,000 annually. She pointed out that the security detail could be an added expense considering there is already security at public events like board meetings and at the central administrative office.
“Adding a dedicated private security detail to these benefits would represent a further significant expense to taxpayers,” Norden said in a statement. “The school board holds the authority to approve or deny such requests. With declining enrollment and constrained budgets, this decision appears to prioritize administrative convenience over student safety.”
This story first appeared in Virginia Mercury. Read the original here.
