Protest against Dr. Hall firing held at MNS Cultural Center Friday

By: Angela Bohon , Madeline Miller

ACCOMAC, Va. —According to a story on our partner station WTKR TV, residents of Accomac gathered Friday afternoon for a rally after the Accomack County Public Schools superintendent was fired.

A few dozen people gathered at the former Mary N. Smith School, which is now used as a cultural enrichment center for public meetings. They wanted to show their support of Dr. Rhonda Hall.

People at the rally say they’re questioning the school board’s decision to remove Dr. Hall as superintendent—which was made official following a 5-4 vote to terminate Dr. Hall Wednesday night.

This comes after weeks of controversy: the firing came after criticism from the Virginia Department of Education in recent weeks.

State educators claim Dr. Hall had failed to cooperate with local law enforcement during an investigation into a student’s alleged shooting threat. They added that her actions potentially jeopardized the safety of students and staff.

Hall defended herself, saying the incident that started everything was inaccurately reported and was a misunderstanding among students. She emphasized measures administrators had taken to keep schools safe, like metal detectors and school security officers.

Dr. Hall had only been in the superintendent role for 15 months, but she has been with the district more than 30 years and had served as Assistant Superintendent and acting Superintendent on various occasions.