“It has been an honor:” Chesterfield County School Board Member Dorothy Heffron resigns amidst comments after Charlie Kirk murder
VENN
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Chesterfield County Public Schools has announced the resignation of School Board member Dorothy Heffron after a controversial social media comment made by Heffron after the murder of Charlie Kirk.
The resignation letter was shared with 8News by Heffron and announced by the county on Sunday, Sept. 14.
Heffron's resignation falls on the heels of her social media comment screenshotted and posted by Winsome Earle-Sears on Facebook following Kirk's murder stating, "Call me old fashioned, but I remember when we used to be okay with shooting Nazis."
According to Chesterfield County Public Schools, they will begin the process of appointing an interim School Board representative for the Clover Hill District, Heffron's district, until a special election to fill the position is held to fill Heffron's position for the remainder of her term which is set to end Dec. 31 2025.
In the letter Heffron expresses how she regrets the pain her post has caused, "It was never my intention to make light of violence or to suggest that harm to anyone is ever acceptable. As an elected official and as someone entrusted with the responsibility of supporting students, families, and educators, I should have shown better judgment," Heffron stated.
The School Board member goes on to express her sincerest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Charlie Kirk.
When asked if there was anything she wanted to share to Chesterfield County Schools and the Clover Hill community Heffron shared this with 8News.
"I grew up here, I grew up in the Clover Hill District, my kids went to the same high school that I went to, which was the same high school that my brother and sister went to, I deeply love this community I am deeply committed to this community I will continue to be committed to this community."
Heffron continued on to share the following, "It has been the absolute honor of my lifetime to be able to serve the Clover Hill District, to just really be able to put myself in that work is something that I'll always be proud of and I will always be proud of the efforts and the legacy work that I have put into Chesterfield County Public Schools."
Moving forward Heffron stated that she will have limited involvement in the school board in between now and her resignation date of Dec. 31.
"I expect to have very limited involvement in the schoolboard during that period...I want to be sure that we have a smooth transition and allow enough time for the operational process of identifying an interim board member so that the district voters, and students and parents and all of the constituents of Clover Hill District are adequately and appropriately represented on the school board."
In their statement, Chesterfield County Public Schools stated:
We have been made aware that Mrs. Heffron and her family, and others in our school division who have made comments on social media, have received threats. Let us be clear: Threats of violence and death have no place in civil discourse. We can passionately disagree without resorting to acts that do not model the behavior we want for our community.
We recognize the politically charged time that our country is experiencing. We must remember that our words carry weight, and they should be used to build trust, foster understanding, and model the respect we want our students to show one another. We must be better than the hatred we have witnessed over the last few days.
We are committed to moving forward with a clear focus on governance, educating our children, and maintaining a productive and supportive educational environment for our nearly 65,000 students.
The Chesterfield County School Board remains united in our work to support students, staff and families. Together, we will continue to ensure that Chesterfield County Public Schools are places where young people can learn, grow and prepare for bright futures.
-Chesterfield County Public School
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
