COURTLAND, Va. (WAVY) — Parents are raising concerns about what they say are deplorable conditions at a Southampton County school, but the school division said images circulating online don’t tell the full story.
Specifically, parents are concerned about the conditions at Southampton Middle School, which they say faces issues of mold, graffiti and general disrepair.
“There is no child in this county, country or world that should have to go to this school,” one resident said at Tuesday’s Southampton County’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting.
One by one, residents addressed the Southampton County Board of Supervisors regarding the middle school campus.
“Students and parents have grievances,” said parent Mandy Hall. “It just continued to spiral downwards until people started taking pictures.”
Those photos show damage inside, but they only tell part of the story, according to Southampton County Public Schools Chief Operations Officer Will Melbye.
“I wanted to make sure that we could take care of whatever was going on,” Melbye said. “There’s a lot of times where there’s problems and you don’t know about it until somebody brings it up.”
Melbye gave 10 On Your Side a tour of the 70-year-old campus Wednesday, but residents still have underlying questions for leadership.
“You don’t have the ability to fire or hire or do a lot of things in the building that need to be done, but you do have legal options at your disposal,” another resident said during the meeting.
Some residents are calling for an in-depth look at the financial records.
“Authorize and initiate a full forensic audit of Southampton County Public Schools,” Hall said.
“It’s really tough when we don’t get fully funded,” Melbye said. “It’s tough to have a Taj Mahal when you have a duct tape and hanger wire budget.”
After meeting in a closed session, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to pursue a forensic audit into Southampton County Public Schools, according to Chairman Dr. Alan Edwards.
From here, a request for audit will be prepared for Southampton Public Schools, and if the audit is not accepted, the state will get involved.
In a statement from Southampton County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Gwendolyn Shannon, she said that “although budget cuts and lack of additional funding has stagnated our progress in upgrading existing infrastructure, we strive to maintain the upkeep of our facilities to the highest of standards.
“We cannot confirm when the alleged circulating photos of Southampton Middle School were taken, nevertheless, we want to assure our students and families that maintaining a safe and productive learning environment is and will continue to be our top priority.
“We greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication of our custodians and staff members and are looking forward to a spectacular school year.”
There will be a open house for middle school parents and students from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Southampton Middle School. The first day of school is Tuesday, Sept. 3.