Gag order goes away for Richmond School Board members

A gag order on Richmond School Board members turned out to be a short-lived affair.

Three weeks after going into effect, the policy was scrapped.

In mid-March, the School Board unanimously passed the "Communications Protocol and Governance Team Standards of Practice" recommended by Superintendent Yvonne W. Brandon.

On Monday, the same board - minus one absent member - voted 7-1 to rescind the policy.

The 20-point plan, developed in February during a weekend retreat for Richmond board members and school administrators in Charlottesville, focused on ways the superintendent and the board could better communicate. Attention quickly turned to an item that asked board members to "maintain fidelity . . . when communicating with the media."

"I thought it was silly from the beginning," said Vice-Chairwoman Kimberly B. Gray. "It inhibits my ability to speak the truth. There's some good stuff happening in Richmond schools, but there's some bad stuff, too, and we need to talk about that. And the media needs to be included in the discussion."

Although Gray opposed the policy, she voted for it in March because of a procedural loophole that only allows supporters to bring an issue back for another vote. She brought it back on Monday.

"I was expecting some discussion," she said.

There wasn't any.

Without a word - an oddity for a group that would later in the same meeting listen to someone read a calendar, then ask questions about it - the board scrapped the policy.

Gray said she isn't sure why it was so easy, but she had a theory based on weeks of phone calls from constituents.

"I think they heard from the people," she said.

Fellow board member Kim Bridges did. She said her support shifted almost immediately after the first vote, when a constituent voiced opposition to the idea.

"I could argue whether it's really a gag order, but that's not important," she said. "The perception is there. We need to move on. We have more important things to do."

Contact Zachary Reid at (804) 775-8179 or .