Issues Raised Across Three Meetings
Six days after a raucous Rockbridge County School Board meeting erupted in shouts and interruptions over a proposed 4x4 block schedule at Rockbridge County High School, many of the same parents, students and teachers returned Monday night for a calmer sequel.
This time, they met in the high school auditorium — not to argue, but to ask questions. Two microphones stood at the aisles, and for more than an hour families lined up to speak as Assistant Principal Shaun Sparks fielded every question himself.
The difference in tone was noticeable. The first meeting had been dominated by frustration and confusion; this one was marked by a tentative mixture of skepticism and willingness to listen. Sparks, who becomes principal in January, thanked attendees repeatedly for engaging respectfully. “We’re not trying to make a decision tonight or even this semester,” he said. “This is a proposal. We want people to ask questions, meet with me, and help us think this through.” -Under the plan, RCHS would transition from its current seven-period schedule to a 4×4 block system beginning in the 2026–27 school year. Students would take four courses per semester, earning a full credit in each, for a total of eight per year. Each class would last around 90 minutes, roughly doubling the current period length.
In a statement to The News-Gazette, Sparks said the model is meant to “support all learners —academically, socially and emotionally — especially as the demands of education continue to evolve.” He described the 4×4 as a way to reduce student stress, allow “deeper learning through extended instructional time” and provide teachers with fewer class preparations at once.
Superintendent Phillip Thompson emphasized that no action has yet been taken by the Board. “This is an ongoing process,” he said. “We want to ensure families, staff and students have opportunities to learn about the model, ask questions and provide input as we move through this proposal.” -The public first learned of the proposed change in early October, when Sparks emailed families describing the 4×4 plan as something the high school “will be proposing.” The message, though brief, was the first official communication on the topic — and by then, rumors were already circulating among students and staff. Parents learned of it through group texts and social media before the letter arrived.
Within days, The News-Gazette received emails from anxious parents calling for coverage. “Nobody, including students, parents, and faculty, seems to have any info,” Lexington parent Brian Alexander wrote. “A major change like this could be great or it could be absolutely terrible. Who knows anything?”
The lack of clear information, and the impression that the decision had already been made, sparked a wave of frustration that came to a head at the Oct. 14 School Board meeting, the most heavily attended in recent memory. -More than 50 people filled the media center at Maury River Middle School that night. A half-dozen students arrived in matching “Stop the Block” T-shirts, part of a quickly formed campaign opposing the change. Their composure set the tone early: polite, articulate, and well-researched.
Junior Geneva Snyder worried that programs such as journalism and yearbook “could suffer” under a semester system. “It would be very difficult to run a newspaper with half of the staff for one semester and a completely new staff for the second,” she said.
Student James McIntyre cited research on “learning loss” in sequential courses. “When you miss a day in a 90-minute class, you’re missing almost double the material,” he said, arguing that foreign language and math continuity could suffer.
Another student, Lucas Secoy, who launched an online petition against the change, claimed that “76 percent of teachers voted against it” in an internal survey. His remarks drew cheers and applause.
The tone shifted with comments from the adults in the room. Parents, often with raised voices, demanded data, accused administrators of secrecy and warned of program cuts.
When Assistant Principal Sparks finally rose to speak, he presented a slideshow that outlined the basic structure of the proposed 4×4 plan. Slides promised “reduced stress,” “deeper learning,” and “increased flexibility.”
To make the idea concrete, Sparks displayed mock schedules for four hypothetical students: a ninth-grade honors student doubling up on math and language; a 10th-grader with a disability balancing support services and electives; an 11th-grade athlete managing AP classes and practices; and a senior using the new structure to expand work-based learning hours. The message was that no one would lose opportunity —just experience it differently.
But Board Chair Kathy Burant had to tamp down interruptions more than once. A few in the crowd shouted questions before he could finish explaining the slides. The presentation, meant as a calm introduction, became a flash point. By the time Burant adjourned the meeting, tempers had frayed on all sides and little had been resolved beyond the hope that Monday’s parent session might go better.
In the days that followed, Sparks sent a follow-up email to the paper describing the proposal as part of a broader effort to “preserve what makes RCHS special, including our rich elective offerings in the arts, journalism, CTE, theater, and band.” He said a committee was already reviewing options for year-long “skinny” courses and teacher training needs. “This is very much an ongoing process,” he wrote, “and feedback from students, families, and staff is appreciated.” -The uproar over the RCHS schedule proposal didn’t stay confined to the county.
Two nights after the Oct. 14 Board meeting, the issue surfaced across town at a joint session of the Lexington City School Board and Lexington City Council, where leaders, though not directly responsible for RCHS, found themselves discussing what lessons they could draw from the turmoil.
Lexington, which sends its middle school graduates from Lylburn Downing Middle School to Rockbridge County High, has a financial and moral stake in the conversation. The city pays a portion of the high school’s operating costs, and its students and families would feel any ripple effects from the scheduling change. But the tone at the Lexington meeting was less defensive than reflective, pondering on the benefits and challenges of public democratic engagement.
Mayor Frank Friedman praised the unusually high turnout at the county meeting, calling it a reminder that “it’s not the time you meet, it’s the content of the meeting.” He encouraged city officials to view the Rockbridge debate as an example of civic engagement working as intended. “Our structure and policy is for you all to engage,” he said. “Make sure the voice of our children and our citizens is represented.”
Lexington School Board member Katie Shester, who had attended the Rockbridge meeting herself, offered a detailed recap: 14 speakers, five of them students, each citing research and presenting arguments respectfully. “The kids are all right, man,” she said with admiration. “They were so poised, so professional, so thoughtful … they articulated their concerns very well.”
Superintendent Rebecca Walters, who is to be an RCHS parent next year, told Council that the controversy was prompting constructive reflection inside Lexington’s own system. Wanting to encourage parents to engage, she said, “When you come to a meeting and make a public comment, that’s your voice. These folks are hearing you, and they’re listening.” She described the Rockbridge uproar as a teachable moment in how participation actually works: messy but meaningful.
City Council member Leslie Straughan was blunter. She said the situation illustrated “what happens when a school board doesn’t take the leadership role early enough.” Her takeaway: “Bring it up in public when you start looking at it, and then it’s not such a surprise when something happens.”
Councilman David Sigler broadened the point into a warning for every local government body: “Having a failed communication plan is inexcusable,” he said. “All of us as elected officials need to commit to being transparent, go slow, and communicate.” -Before Sparks spoke Monday night to the crowded high school auditorium at the informational meeting for parents and guardians, Thompson addressed the crowd to set the tone. “This is an opportunity for us to share information and answer your questions.” he said, “Let’s do those things in a productive and respectful environment.
“Our goal tonight is to ensure that everyone — students, family, staff, community members — feels heard and respected,” he continued. “When we have disruptive behavior, that takes away from that goal and makes it harder for others to engage and understand the information being presented. We can do this. I promise you this is a positive thing … And we can get through this in a positive manner tonight.” He then introduced Sparks to oversee the rest of the meeting.
For about 15 minutes, Sparks walked through a revised slide deck titled “Block Schedule Transition Proposal.” He outlined five goals for the shift: to “deepen student learning and focus” by reducing the mental strain of juggling seven subjects a day; to “increase course opportunities,” opening more room for electives and credit recovery; to “support differentiated instruction,” giving teachers longer blocks for more flexible teaching styles; to “align with college and career readiness”; and to “strengthen relationships and school culture.” The overall aim, he said, was “a calmer, more focused school day.”
He also introduced the idea of a “flex period” — an extra daily block for tutoring, intervention, enrichment, and make-up work — and confirmed that AP courses would remain year-long. He finished this presentation with the same slides from the School Board meeting, with mock student schedules designed to illustrate the flexibility of the proposed system. -When the floor opened for questions, the tone stayed measured but persistent. Parents and students took turns at the microphones, many of them familiar from the Board meeting nearly a week earlier.
One mother asked, “Why are we doing this now? Why not wait until 2027 so everyone’s ready?” Her suggestion drew loud applause.
A father followed: “If this is about reducing stress, what about the stress of transition and losing continuity with teachers?”
Several parents pressed for data comparing test scores and retention between schools with block schedules and those without. Sparks promised to share information from other Virginia divisions that had made the switch but admitted that local data were still being gathered. “I understand wanting numbers,” he said. “We’re looking at examples across the state and will share that as we move forward.”
Others worried about the arts and electives. “Will my daughter have to choose between band and theater?” one asked. Sparks replied that those programs would “remain yearlong” and that scheduling models were being drafted to protect them.
Students in the “Stop the Block” group, again wearing their T-shirts, handed out flyers linking to their petition at the auditorium doors. During the Q&A, Secoy again spoke and asked whether the administration would consider including students on the committee shaping the proposal. Sparks said yes: “If you’re willing to serve, we’ll make that happen.” -Despite lingering skepticism, the evening ended on a note of mutual respect. Parents thanked Sparks for staying calm and transparent; Sparks thanked them for showing up.
The discussion revealed three central tensions still unresolved, as mentioned repeatedly by different parents and students: One, communication and trust: several parents said that they want more direct involvement and earlier notice of big decisions. Sparks acknowledged that communication would need to continue, again inviting audience members to schedule a sit-down session with him.
Two, timeline. Calls to delay implementation to 2027 drew strong support. Sparks did not rule it out, but he gave no indication that a delay was being seriously considered yet.
Three, data. The demand for hard evidence remains unmet. As one parent summarized, “If we’re making such a big structural change, we deserve to see the proof.”
Sparks has invited families to continue sending questions and scheduling individual meetings. The committee he referenced — comprising teachers from each department — is expected to present revised models and research data later this winter. Another public forum is planned but not yet scheduled.
Meanwhile, the “Stop the Block” students continue to gather signatures; their petition has surpassed a thousand. Yet even among opponents, the tone has shifted from outrage to engagement.
“We’re not against change,” one parent said Monday night. “We just want to be part of it.”
