Isle of Wight County, Va., school board members pressured superintendent to suppress anti-ICE student walkout

On Feb. 27, 2026, three members of the Isle of Wight County School Board pressured Superintendent Theo Cramer to block a student-led walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Smithfield High School, invoking facially neutral policies to justify suppressing the protest and disciplining participants. In a Feb. 26 email, Board Chairman John Collick told Cramer a walkout would violate Policy JED's absence-authorization requirements and Policy JFCFA's ban on disruptive demonstrations, and separately cited Policy GBG's prohibition on staff "political activities" against the ICE protest specifically. Roughly four hours ahead of the walkout, Collick emailed Cramer again — attaching a since-deleted Facebook post calling for anyone who "participates or facilitates a walkout" to be disciplined — writing, "As Chairman, I am reminding you to enforce these policies as written and intended by the School Board... I expect you to do everything you can do to prevent a walkout." Board members Brandi Perkins and Mark Wooster separately pressed Cramer in the same email thread and by text message to discipline any student or staff participant; Perkins wrote, "School is for learning. I expect to see disciplinary action."

Cramer did not comply. Roughly 150 of Smithfield High's approximately 1,300 students walked out during a 30-minute non-instructional period on Feb. 27, marching around a campus building for about 15 minutes without violence or confrontation; Collick, Perkins and Wooster each went to the school to observe in person. A fourth board member, Jason Maresh, dissented from his colleagues in emails obtained by the Smithfield Times through a Freedom of Information Act request, citing his own military service "to afford folks 1st amendment rights" and warning that Cramer was being made a "scapegoat." The emails and texts underlying this account were obtained by the Smithfield Times via a Virginia FOIA request.

Updates

2026-03-03 — Board considered disciplining Cramer over the walkout, took no action [2]

Four days after the protest, Collick called a closed School Board session to discuss the "performance and possible discipline" of Cramer. Text messages show Collick told fellow member Maresh the board had "a majority... that wants (redacted)," and Maresh accused Collick, Perkins and Wooster of using the walkout to force Cramer out; the board adjourned after roughly 45 minutes without taking any disciplinary action.

2026-03-11 — Cramer announced he would not seek contract renewal [3]

Eight days after the closed session, Cramer announced he would leave Isle of Wight County Schools when his contract expires June 30, giving no specific reason. At the board's March 12 meeting, several parents and community members publicly attributed the departure to the board's response to the walkout.

2026-03-12 — Board gave first reading to policy barring student walkouts [4]

The board gave a first reading to a new policy, "Disruption-Free Learning Environment," explicitly classifying walkouts as prohibited disruptive conduct.

2026-04-02 — Board postponed final vote on walkout-ban policy amid free-speech objections [4, 5]

A scheduled final vote was postponed after board members and a student board liaison publicly disputed whether the policy would suppress protected student expression.

2026-04-23 — Deputy Superintendent named to succeed Cramer [6]

The board unanimously appointed Deputy Superintendent Christopher Coleman as Cramer's successor, effective July 1.