Republican state senator pushes back on Richmond’s proposals to increase diversity at its whitest schools

After the morning bell rang on the first day of school at Fox Elementary in Richmond and the children had filed into their classrooms, four people remained outside the school.

Two people at one corner of the school held signs that read “Save Our Neighborhood Schools,” while the other two waited to approach passersby.

The small group was rallying support to leave Fox’s zoning alone, part of a saga that played out over summer vacation and an issue that the area’s Republican state senator waded into the night before students went back to school.

Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, said in a Facebook post from outside Mary Munford Elementary, another school being considered for rezoning, that he’s heard from “countless parents” at Fox and Munford who oppose the district’s potential plans to shift neighborhood lines. He said he will introduce legislation that would require additional steps for local school boards before approving zoning changes.

“These are some of the best schools not only in Richmond, but in central Virginia and this rezoning plan would have a major impact on Munford and Fox,” said Sturtevant, a former Richmond School Board member, in a brief Facebook video titled “Save Fox and Munford.” He encouraged viewers to click through a link to sign a petition. It’s unclear where that petition will go.