September 27, 2022

Hello FCPS Families,

As promised, I am following up with you on the situation regarding the independent investigation that has now been completed into the circumstances regarding a counselor who was employed at Glasgow Middle School. 

The School Board acted without delay once notified of the conviction and promptly directed me to initiate an independent, external investigation. I want to personally thank you for your patience and understanding while this investigation by independent outside legal counsel was conducted.

Below and at this link, you will find a summary of the areas of improvement and the actions that we will be taking in the coming weeks. These do not include personnel actions, which I have already taken and will be taking.

• FCPS has begun work to collaborate with the Virginia legislature and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure timely and robust information sharing and notice regarding employee arrests and convictions.
• This case also raised several widespread, systemic issues regarding how Virginia handles information-sharing on the arrest and/or conviction of school employees. FCPS will explore enrolling in the FBI Rap Back program as soon as it is available to FCPS through the Commonwealth of Virginia, which supports information sharing between jurisdictions, between the state and local jurisdictions, as well as across state lines and  from national criminal databases. The School Board will be advocating through their interagency partners for these changes to happen quickly. 
• Current employees will be required to undergo regular background checks over the course of their employment with FCPS.
• Additional steps will be required for prospective new hires, including a reference check from the central office of their previous employer, more robust support documentation, and information sharing on personnel between jurisdictions.
• FCPS will improve its licensure verification process for all prospective employees. We will also be requiring timely verification that an employee’s license remains in good standing, and timely licensure submissions to the Virginia Department of Education.
• The school division will improve processes to ensure employee leave and absences are documented in a timely way, and verified and monitored. Responsible administrators and staff will undergo professional development regarding reporting leave and their obligations to ensure that payroll is accurate.
• The school division will not accept resignations from employees who are convicted of barrier crimes and will promptly initiate dismissal and license revocation petitions for these employees. 

You have my commitment that we will be taking action to correct the systemic issues noted in the summary and I have begun to take appropriate disciplinary actions as a result of this investigation.

Please know that we are  committed to doing everything possible to ensure our students and staff are safe and thriving in our schools, and will be working hard to restore the trust in our community.

Respectfully,

Dr. Michelle C. Reid
Superintendent