By: Jimmy Belew
To the Leadership, Administrators, and Staff of Albemarle County Public Schools:
I write this letter with a heavy heart during what should be a season of peace, reflection, and care for children and families. Instead, the holiday season has been marked by pain, anguish, and a deep sense of betrayal caused by the actions and inactions of school employees entrusted with the well‑being of my children.
This letter is not written lightly, nor is it motivated by anger alone. It is written out of love for my children, a commitment to truth, and the hope that accountability and compassion can still guide the work of Albemarle County Public Schools.
The Human Cost to Our Family
Schools are meant to be safe havens—places where children are protected, supported, and believed. For my family, the school environment has instead become a source of fear and distress. The cumulative impact of repeated mistreatment has taken an emotional toll on my children and on us as parents. What should have been a joyful holiday season has been overshadowed by anxiety, sleepless nights, and the painful task of trying to help our children heal from harm that should never have occurred.
No family should have to brace themselves emotionally before interacting with a school system. No child should associate learning with humiliation, exclusion, or fear.
False and Harmful Reports to Child Protective Services
Among the most devastating actions taken by school employees was the reporting of claims to Child Protective Services that were false and unfounded. Such reports carry profound consequences. They place families under extreme emotional stress, undermine parental integrity, and create lasting trauma for children who suddenly feel unsafe in their own homes.
Mandatory reporting is a serious responsibility that must be exercised with integrity, objectivity, and care. When this process is misused or weaponized, it does irreparable harm. The damage caused by false reporting does not end when an investigation closes—it lingers in fear, mistrust, and emotional scars.
Denial of Special Education Services
Equally painful has been the denial of appropriate special education services to my children. When a school system fails to recognize and respond to documented needs, it sends a message that some children are not worthy of support. This denial has hindered my children’s educational progress and compounded their emotional distress.
Special education is not a privilege; it is a legal and moral obligation. The failure to provide timely, appropriate services has left my children struggling and unsupported at moments when they needed advocacy the most.
Bullying by School Staff
Perhaps most heartbreaking of all is that the bullying my children experienced did not come only from peers, but from adults—individuals in positions of authority and trust. When school staff engage in intimidation, humiliation, or dismissive behavior toward children, the harm is profound and enduring.
Children learn not only from curriculum, but from how they are treated. When educators model cruelty or indifference, they teach children that power outweighs kindness and that their voices do not matter.
A Lack of Care, Compassion, and Accountability
Throughout these experiences, what has been most absent is compassion. There has been a consistent lack of empathy, responsiveness, and accountability from those responsible for protecting children. Concerns were minimized. Voices were dismissed. Pain was met with silence or defensiveness rather than care.
A school system’s true measure is not found in policies or mission statements, but in how it treats its most vulnerable students and families—especially when mistakes are brought to light.
A Call for Reflection and Change
This letter is a plea for Albemarle County Public Schools to reflect deeply on its practices, culture, and leadership. I urge you to consider the real human impact of your decisions and actions. Children are not case files. Families are not adversaries. Trust, once broken, is extraordinarily difficult to rebuild.
As we enter a season meant for goodwill and compassion, I ask that you choose to listen—truly listen—to the families who have been harmed. Acknowledge wrongdoing. Commit to meaningful change. Ensure that no other family endures the pain we have experienced.
Our children deserve better. They deserve safety, dignity, and care. And families deserve a school system that partners with them in good faith, not one that deepens their wounds.
Respectfully,
Jimmy W. Belew
Concerned Parent and Advocate for My Children
