NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — The Newport News School Board called a special meeting Tuesday to introduce the district’s newest administrators as two of those positions were created following the shooting at Richneck Elementary School.
On this day, five months ago, a first-grade teacher was shot by her student in Newport News. Since then, Newport News Public Schools has made significant changes to school security, along with creating new positions to oversee those changes.
On Tuesday, Newport News interim superintendent Dr. Michele Mitchell introduced 14 new administrators for the upcoming school year. Two of those staff members will be stepping into new roles.
Robert Stewart Jr. will be returning to Newport News as the district’s executive director of crisis planning, prevention and response. Stewart is a former Newport News police officer and corrections officer.
“He is a certified evidence response team member, a certified firearms instructor, incident command systems trained individual, certified crisis management coordinator,” Mitchell said. “He’s also an adjunct professor through the FBI’s training division of the University of Virginia’s operational skills and crisis management. He has worked as the supervisory special agent with the counter improvise explosive readiness unit. He has also worked as a supervisory special agent for the crisis management unit for the FBI and as a supervisory special agent for the firearms training unit for the FBI’s new agent academy.
“Worked as a supervisory special agent with the hostage rescue team tactical support and intelligence unit for the FBI’s hostage rescue team, special agent for the violent crime squad at the Philadelphia field office, detective for NNPD and Virginia Department of Corrections as a parole and probations officer.”
Stewart will be responsible for overseeing crisis prevention and environmental risk management throughout the school district.
“I spent the last 34 years in law enforcement ad I feel like it’s prepared me for today,” Stewart said that “I can’t wait to get back to Newport News and to get started on this job.”
Meanwhile, Carl Murray Jr., a Newport News native, will return to the city as the district’s new director of safety.
His role focuses on oversight and compliance of improved safety and security initiatives.
“Mr. Murray has also worked as a special education teacher, so he comes understanding the processes in schools,” Mitchell said.
Murray currently works at Albemarle County Public Schools in Charlottesville as a school safety coordinator. He was also a Richmond police officer and SRO, a police detective for Virginia State University and chief of police at Piedmont Virginia Community College.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” Murray said. “I’m very excited to come back home.”
As for the superintendent search, chairman Lisa Surles-Law told 10 On Your Side that the board is meeting with the Virginia School Boards Association Wednesday to go over candidates. She would not say how many people have applied.