In Spotsylvania County, Virginia, a turbulent chapter in the school district’s history may soon be coming to a close, but not without a final controversy.
A school board member recently demanded to see the credentials and qualifications of Superintendent Clint Mitchell, who has been on the job for nearly 18 months. He’s the school district’s first Black school superintendent. He’s also an immigrant and now a U.S. citizen.
“I decided that I needed to set the record straight,” Mitchell said.
Since he began as superintendent last year, Mitchell said he’s has been subjected to racist emails, threats and now the challenge to his credentials.
Mitchell said school board member Lisa Phelps cited the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest of a Black school superintendent in Iowa and asked for documents and certifications used in Mitchell’s hiring.
He said Phelps was told she could come into the office to see the documents for herself, but he said she didn’t accept the invitation.
So, at a Nov. 10 school board meeting, Mitchell took the matter public.
One by one, Mitchell produced the documents that told his story of an immigrant who came to this country at age 14 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He showed his first U.S. passport. He finished the show-and-tell with a series of college degrees that led him to his current role, including a doctoral degree from Virginia Tech.
As Mitchell concluded, board members got to their feet and applauded. Phelps was not present.
Mitchell explained Tuesday why he decided to publicly address the challenge to his background.
“I felt the public needed to hear the truth because there was a narrative that was being built,” he said.
He also said he spoke out for the children of the school district, especially those who are immigrants themselves.
“I felt I had the responsibility to let those children know that it’s OK, that if someone does challenge you along those lines, you have to stand up for yourself,” he said.
News4 asked Phelps for comment, but she did not respond.
The credential challenge is just the latest in a series of school board controversies in the past five years, most initiated by conservative board members who once controlled the board. But Phelps and another conservative member are leaving the board.
The new school board will be sworn in Dec. 11. Mitchell said he is encouraged that they agreed to governance training from the Virginia School Boards Association.
An education advocate who frequently attends meetings said she’s hopeful the frequent drama of the past is ending.
“Coming into the new board, we have, I truly believe, a group of people who are invested in doing what’s best for our schools versus tearing them down,” she said. “[…] So, I think we’ve built a good foundation and I think the next board hopefully will just make board meetings boring again.”
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