Virginia House Speaker Don Scott Demands Special Treatment, Claims Racism
Policies require prior approval before speakers can be admitted to a school. Don Scott chose to grandstand instead.
Del. Don Scott (D)
Virginia Delegate Don Scott (D) falsely claims he faced racial discrimination when he wasn't admitted into First Colonial High School to speak to students without notice. Scott sought special treatment to have access to Virginia Beach students—access not granted to school board members or parents. One wonders what business Scott had at that school, as his district doesn’t include Virginia Beach. He owes school leaders and the community an apology for his outrageous and unfounded claims.
According to local media reports, Delegate Scott's law partner, Jeffrey Breit, was approved to speak to students at the school on March 26th. At the last minute, Breit informed a student that Scott would join him that day. Breit then spoke to a teacher who indicated she would get a larger space for the event since to accommodate Scott. However, within 45 minutes the teacher notified Breit that Scott did not have permission to attend—likely after becoming aware of the school board policy that requires prior approval by the principal for outside speakers.
Scott blew a gasket. When told he couldn't attend he claimed, “Folks come in these schools all the time, sometimes at the last minute.” That statement is simply not true.
The Speaker of the House Should Know Proper Protocol
As a former member of the Virginia Beach School Board, I'm well versed in the policies of the division. For reasons of safety, student privacy, and parental notification, the district outlines clear procedures for visitors and speakers to the schools. Even as a school board member, I couldn't just show up to a school and speak without advanced permission. One of my legal responsibilities of oversight was to visit schools—and I had to give prior notice. Yet Delegate Scott claims racism when the school doesn't break the rules to give him special treatment.
As a school board member, I received requests from legislators to visit schools. I directed them to the district's legislative liaison who scheduled these events. I recall one delegate who contacted me multiple times because the approval for her school visit took so long. I once accompanied a state senator on a school visit when he spoke to students. It was arranged and approved well in advance.
Scott's statements that people just show up and gain immediate admittance to the school would create a scenario that violates multiple safety protocols. His phony outrage looks more like mendacious grandstanding than genuine concern for the students. Even parents can't just show up and get let in to the school—and they're much more important than a politician.
According to local news reports:
Scott, a Democrat, is Virginia's first Black Speaker, said politics were not what he planned to discuss. Scott said he was denied entry because of "politics" and "[his] race, unfortunately."
The Virginia Beach NAACP came to Scott's support, saying they were "outraged" he couldn't speak to students. VBCPS said the actions taken were in-line with the school board policy, summing up the incident as a "miscommunication."
Another report spun it more provocatively, quoting Scott calling the incident a “slap in the face”:
The superintendent has apologized, but State House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) insists that what happened Wednesday at First Colonial High School was racial.
He called being denied entry into the school “a slap in the face,” while the city’s school division characterized what happened as a “miscommunication.”
In its statement, the Virginia Beach NAACP said, "It is troubling that a leader of Delegate Scott’s stature was not afforded the same welcome that other public officials, such as the Governor or Attorney General, would receive." This claim is blatantly false, and the NAACP has every reason to know it’s false. As just one example, the Attorney General spoke at a Virginia Beach school in November 2024 for which his office had to complete paperwork and get permission for the event weeks in advance.
To safeguard the school’s public image, the Virginia Beach Superintendent Don Robertson apologized to Scott for the situation and invited him to schedule a future time to speak. The Director of High Schools (a black man) and Chief of Staff (a black woman) would've certainly been involved in the handling of this situation. Is Scott also claiming they demonstrated a racist reaction?
Delegate Scott owes an apology to not only Virginia Beach school leadership and staff, but the whole community. His claim of racism has needlessly stirred up emotions in the city, which will certainly do nothing to bring the community together. Is that his intent? If not, then he should retract his claims immediately and apologize.
(READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE—Extremists Hijack Taxpayer Funded Human Rights Commissions in Virginia Cities)
