YORK COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — A petition has been created to call for the resignation of three controversial school board members in York County.
The petition shared Friday with WAVY alleges multiple instances and patterns of “misconduct and incompetence” from Board Chair Lynda Fairman, Vice Chair Kimberly Goodwin and board member Zoran Pajevic. The three were elected back in November after running together on a right-wing platform and now have a 3-2 majority on the board.
“We denounce the conduct of the new school board members and ask that they step down for the good of our community. As concerned parents, educators, staff, and citizens of the York County School Division, we are initiating this petition to hold Lynda Fairman, Kimberly Goodwin and Zoran Pajevic accountable for their actions and to restore integrity, transparency, and accountability to the York County School Division Board,” the petition reads.
The allegations include the trio holding unofficial meetings in violation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, retaliatory conduct against the district’s superintendent and the creation of a hostile work environment under Fairman’s leadership.
The petition also points to alleged ties between the trio and a militia group in York County (which they’ve denied), recent efforts to “move the board to a partisan, ill-founded board association” and “numerous racist comments/slurs which have not been removed” online from Goodwin.
The core group of about 10 concerned parents and community members behind the petition, several of which have spoken publicly against the board, say they’re speaking on behalf of hundreds who are also concerned about the board’s new leadership. They said they were originally considering pushing for recall elections but ultimately opted for the petition due to the demands that Virginia law on recalls requires.
They say many, particularly teachers and staff, are concerned about speaking out against the new board leadership for fear of retaliation.
The group says they’ve already started circulating the petition online and will be at multiple locations in the county coming up to gather signatures from residents. They’ll be at Mobjack Bay Coffee on Sunday, April 14 at 12:30 p.m. and plan to be at the next board meeting on April 22.
You can read the full petition below.