Disclaimer: This piece reflects the views of the writers and not of The Treaty as a whole, its advertisers, or of Kempsville High School and all of its students and staff.

On Thursday, February 20, news stations across Hampton Roads predicted varying forecasts of five to eight inches of snow. School districts in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Suffolk canceled after-school activities on Thursday and school on Friday. While Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) canceled after-school activities for Thursday, they did not cancel school on Friday, instead operating on a two-hour delay. Students, faculty, and parents from all over Virginia Beach took to Twitter to express their discontent at the decision, and their average reply rate, which is normally less than five, skyrocketed to almost 280 replies on the announcement of the delay.  

Twitter users replied to @vbschools with memes, humor, and a few legitimate comments citing VBCPS’s past trend of waiting until early in the morning to call parents announcing school closures. This often leaves parents scrambling, especially those with younger children, to make last-minute arrangements. Many students also questioned whether the district was taking all areas into consideration, with many in the Kellam area posting photos with more snow than those in the Kempsville area. Students commented about safety concerns as well, as many within academies drive thirty minutes or more. 

Among the many responses, the @vbschools account hid 20, the only replies that had explicit content. There was one hidden tweet, however, which had no such language, and was actually a screenshot of an article discussing the winter storm warning that was in effect at the time. 

Dr. Aaron Spence, Virginia Beach superintendent, quoted Tallwood student Chiara Baez’s now-deleted tweet about VBCPS students, saying: “I appreciate the…enthusiasm. However, pro tips: NWS (weather.gov) =

smarter than your friend’s insta; calling us fools/cowards/expletives ≠ changing our minds; future employers = watching.” The tweet was concluded with a flushed face or embarrassed emoji and hashtags “#digitalcitizenship” and “#ijs” [I’m just saying]. 

Underneath his Tweet Spence responded to a reply by a 23-year Navy Veteran John Lasseter. 

“The angst of the uncertainty is real for those that have to scramble when late decisions are made,” Lasseter said. “ When a calm reassuring voice is needed, you supply sarcasm.” 

Spence replied that he “regret[ed Lasseter] read it that way” and that he “was trying, with a little humor, to redirect students.” He asked in parentheses immediately after: “did you read their [students’] comments?” 

At the time of this publication, 7% of the replies have been marked by @vbschools as containing offensive content. 

The response brought on mixed reactions from both parents and students. Reading through the initial replies to @vbschools, very few include expletives and most of them are sarcastic jokes and memes by teenagers, as well as the to-be-expected: exasperated students not wanting to go to school.

Superintendent Spence’s replies add an awkward and uncomfortable element that is not often found in the classroom, where the person in a position of authority gets caught up in an emotional reaction to what the students are saying. Frustration is clear within the replies, at a population largely aged 14-18, and the account of the student he quoted has since been deleted. It begs first the question of overstepping a line: would a teacher be allowed to reply to a student like that, whether in person or online?

And when teachers are careful about interacting with students online, how fair is it for a grown adult to critically and publically quote a 15-year-old student?

His reaction also spawns questions of whether “student voice” actually matters. In 2015, while visiting journalism classes in the district, Spence told Falcon Press, Cox High School’s news team: “I have long valued the importance of student voice, and what better way to hear our students’ point of view than to give them the access and ability to ask the tough questions?”

This is something he identifies with, as VBCPS’ website credits Spence as “fostering a culture where input is welcomed, opinions are valued and differences are celebrated.”

The Twitter account for VBCPS ultimately responded to comments on Friday with a video explaining how the district makes decisions concerning the weather. Dr. Aaron Spence and Jack Freeman, VBCPS chief operations officer, explained all that goes into the decision to delay or cancel school. Comments on the video are turned off. 

Edit 2/26: The content of the deleted tweet has been clarified, and feature photo updated to include the text of the now-deleted Tweet.