Community Opposes School Division Split, CW CEO Could Face Charges for Car Accident, and more

Mar 31, 2024

Good morning! This week’s Round the Triangle is coming to you from Guadalajara, Mexico, where I’m competing in a dance tournament!

Enough about me - Let’s get to last week’s top stories

A public input session at James Blair Middle School this week discussed a feasibility study published earlier this month on the potential splitting of the joint Williamsburg-James City County School Division, which started in 1955.
Participants noted the study's findings of lower average performance scores for Williamsburg students were only part of the problem, with racial disparities in access to gifted programs and suspension rates also being significant issues.
The majority of speakers advocated for addressing these challenges within the existing joint school division rather than pursuing a split. The City of Williamsburg is continuing to solicit public input. You can submit feedback here.

The WJCC commonwealth’s attorney said this week that he had made a decision regarding whether to pursue charges related to the accident where Colonial Williamsburg CEO Cliff Fleet hit W&M student Rosemary Raynal with his SUV.
The decision will be announced sometime before the next grand jury, set for May 22. Raynal had looked both ways before crossing the street on October 26 last year when Fleet’s SUV struck her, inflicting brain trauma and multiple fractures.
Investigators previously said that speed and alcohol were not factors in the accident. Fleet was appointed CEO in 2019 and previously served as President and CEO of leading cigarette manufacturer Phillip Morris USA.

After a 19-year hiatus, the Yorktown Workboat Races will return to the Yorktown waterfront in June, featuring a parade, races, a Workboat Model Show, fresh seafood, and an awards ceremony.
York-Poquoson Social Services is urgently seeking foster families in Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Poquoson, with 28 children in foster care and only six approved families. If interested in becoming a foster family, you can learn more here.
Essence Magazine did a feature on the upcoming September reopening of the Bray school, the oldest Black school in America. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the school that served around 300-400 students.