By Taylor Boyd
Parents expressed frustration at the Dec. 4 Henry County School Board meeting about a new grading system that went into effect in May.
Melissa Zehr, a member of the PSCPS Parents Consortium, said that in the last three years, the board has revised its bylaws 51 times, including 19 revisions this year.
“The most troubling change came in May 2025, with the Administration and Absence bylaw. You gave the superintendent sweeping new power. If the board has no policy, she can act on her own and simply inform you later. That’s not oversight, you’re giving her a black check,” she said.
With this new power, Zehr said Schools Superintendent Dr. Amy Blake-Lewis’s first action was districtwide grading changes without parent input, teacher surveys, or a board vote.
Following the meeting, Chair Teddy Martin II, of the Reed Creek District, said the changes were consistent with what the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), and the Board of Education push.
He noted Blake-Lewis and Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Lisa Millner also presented the changes at a previous meeting.
“This was run through parental advisory and teacher advisory, there were surveys, and the board was briefed on it. The board did not have a vote on it as it was seen as an operational” matter. “The board does not find the statements made there consistent with the facts as we understand them,” Martin said.
When the division switched to the 10-point grading scale in 2015, Zehr said then-superintendent Dr. Sandy Strayer surveyed parents and brought the decision to the board for a vote.
“That’s the precedent, that’s our precedent,” she said.
Zehr added that parents and teachers were also blindsided by the new curriculum, which was said to be required by the state.
“That wasn’t completely the truth,” Zehr said. “The state-approved programs Benchmark and Kiddom cost us less than $200,000 so far this year, but 33 percent of our year-to-date instructional expense, over $300,000, has gone to one single vendor — Emerald Education, a North Carolina consultancy.”
Zehr alleged that Blake-Lewis previously worked with the firm while employed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
“Emerald Education is not on the VDOE approved curriculum list. Their $71,000 mass study that we paid for — the results have never been made public. A $124,000 purchase order is now, for just one-and-a-half days of in-person training, buried in a line item that you voted on in June for math kits,” she said.
After questions were raised, Zehr alleged the company website was scrubbed, former employees deleted their LinkedIn profiles, and ties that were obvious six months ago disappeared. “Don’t worry, I have the online data. Transparency matters, trust matters,” she said.
Zehr questioned whether the superintendent’s previous affiliation with the company represents a conflict of interest. She said she submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the conflict-of-interest forms, a study the board saw in May, and archived versions of the websites before they were changed.
To his understanding, Martin said Emerald Education has been acquired by another company.
“So the references to changes, at least to my understanding, are because of that acquisition and have no relation to the commentary,” he said.
To the board’s knowledge, Martin also said there was no line item of more than $100,000 for a single day of training.
“That does not align with what has been presented to us. Our purchasing goes through many different levels of review and public accessibility. We’re not engaged in hiding things,” he said.
In a statement after the meeting, the school board said, “The school division adheres to all procurement laws and ethical standards when contracting with outside vendors. Our financial practices undergo multiple layers of oversight, including annual external audits, state reporting requirements, and routine board review. Our financial records — including audits, budgets, and procurement documentation — are public. We welcome community engagement and encourage any resident with concerns to review this publicly available information.”
“The evidence is coming. Parents are watching you,” she said.
Tom Auker, of the Blackberry District, said the board appreciated Zehr attending the meeting and speaking, and notified her that her three-minute speaking time was up.
Zehr said the public deserves answers, not revised bylaws that remove oversight, secret contracts, or unilateral decisions that hurt students’ love of learning.
“You want to know what real progress and improvement would be — restore your authority over major grading and curriculum changes, require public disclosure, and review all contracts and purchase orders with Emerald Education and its successors,” Zehr said.
She also asked the board to investigate relationships between Emerald Education and local school personnel, halt all payments, and further involvement with the vendor until the board clarifies that it is comfortable spending that money.
“Investigate why you have payments for professional development training under math kits,” Zehr yelled.
While he appreciated Zehr’s comments, Auker again tried to stop her and reiterated that she was over the three minutes allotted per speaker during the meeting’s public comment period.
Zehr replied that the board needs to restore discourse and discussion between the board and the public as adults.
“I don’t agree with you, and yet I cannot talk to you. So, I bring it here. You have professionalism and decorum laid out for you every meeting that has been stuffed down your throats. You are elected officials. You do not work for her! You hired her. She works for you,” Zehr said.
Lily Tatoy, a student at Laurel Park Middle School, said she does not believe the new grading system reflects students’ true understanding of the material and adds unnecessary stress.
“It needs to be changed to the old, traditional grading system because all the kids who were struggling before, you guys made it worse by not giving them another chance to bring it back up,” she said.
Tatoy said she believes some parents are removing their children from the school system because of the change.
“I strongly believe SOLs (Standards of Learning) aren’t every test, and even when teachers or adults tell you, you should just know it. You need to memorize or remember how to do it,” she said, adding that board members need to remember students are children who already deal with a lot of pressure.
When looking at the board’s inclusivity statement and its learning-through-innovation goals in preparing students for college, the workforce, the military, and life, Myndi Mullins, Tatoy’s mother, said her daughter’s life is more stressful than her own.
“I work very hard to keep their life stress-free because they are children. This roll grade book you guys have, I have a child who is really stressed out with it. Her friends are stressed out with it, they come home every day and tell me that a new friend is being homeschooled because of this,” she said.
Mullins said it comes down to money for the school board, since the division loses funding for every student pulled from the system.
“I have a goal of homeschooling at some point, and you guys push me a little closer to the edge every time I look at PowerSchool,” she said.
Mullins said she believes teachers fear retaliation if they speak up about the grading system change.
“The teachers hate it just as much as the parents do,” she said.
Because of the new grading standards, Mullins said her children probably will not receive the same academic achievements they earned last year, including Principal’s Scholars.
“You guys need to understand that as parents, we’re disappointed in every one of you and your choices. You need to do better,” Mullins said.
Sarah Martin (center) was named Henry County Schools Teacher of the Year.
In other matters, the board:
*Received a citation of appreciation from former American Legion Homer Dillard Post 78 Commander Curtis Millner and members of the VFD for the flag etiquette classes offered to all fifth-grade students in the district.
*Approved a resolution honoring Auker for his tenure on the board.
*Approved a resolution honoring School Board member Elizabeth Durden, of the Collinsville District, for her tenure on the board.
*Honored the school division’s Holiday Card Contest winners.
*Honored Campbell Court Elementary School teacher Sarah Martin as the 2025 Teacher of the Year.
*Approved the consent agenda, heard the superintendent’s report, heard committee reports, and comments from board members.
*Approved the personnel report and addendum.
*Approved the religious exemption as presented.
