Students and parents petitioned the Virginia Beach School Board on Tuesday night not to close a middle and elementary school for gifted students — though the district says that was never a consideration.
Some parents at the meeting were reacting to a survey with several options for the future of Old Donation School, including some that considered “phasing out” its current form.
Old Donation School is a full-time school serving students in grades two through eight who meet certain criteria to be considered “gifted.”
Public comment lasted nearly an hour as people advocated for the school. Parents at the meeting said they heard from one another the school board was considering closing the school. Students shared positive experiences and expressed their wishes to continue attending.
After public comment, a presentation about the school from Crystal Wilkerson, director of K-12 and gifted programs, and Alli Krug, co-chairperson of the Gifted Community Advisory Committee, or GCAC, led to questions from the board.
“At this time, is there any recommendation from the GCAC to dissolve ODS?” asked school board member Kathleen Brown.
“Not at all,” Krug said. “We definitely would not be able to endorse disbanding ODS.”
Brown said she was surprised by the public comments.
The source of the confusion is unclear. Representatives of the school division did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Some parents thought closing the school was on the table from the survey included in Tuesday night’s agenda packet. The survey, compiled by the Office of Gifted Programs, was in response to a request from the school board to determine the future and purpose of Old Donation School, Krug said.
“When I see something like that in a survey, it means it’s an idea, it’s something they’re considering,” said Lauren Clark, a parent of a 7th grader at Old Donation School. She said she and other parents spoke Tuesday night because they “can’t wait until the decision has been made behind closed doors.”
The survey asked respondents to agree or disagree with several options for the future of the program, including maintaining it in its current form; serving students only in grades 3 through 8 or 2 through 5; and changing the admissions standards.
Options also included phasing out the school entirely to only serve students at the schools they’re assigned to attend, to turn it into a specific advanced program academy such as a STEM school or to turn it into a one-day program.
The agenda packet included survey responses from seven of the nine members of the Gifted Community Advisory Committee and 35 subcommittee members.
“What you’re looking at there is not entirely helpful, nor is it a random sample, nor is it designed really to give you the clarity that you want,” Krug said of the survey to the board.
The gifted advisory committee made recommendations for the 2024-2025 school year, including strengthening partnerships between the committee and district offices and more academic rigor in all gifted cluster classes.
Old Donation School is also considering adding an additional third grade class to admit students with the highest ratings based on tests to determine academic aptitude.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools are a member of the Hampton Roads Educational Telecommunications Association, which holds WHRO’s broadcast license.
