As Clint Mitchell listened intently to the first speaker at Monday’s Spotsylvania County School Board meeting, he was reminded of the isolation he’s experienced in his first six months as the first Black superintendent in the history of the school division.
Retired Lt. Col. Edward Baccich, a U.S. Army veteran and chaplain, said that Mitchell has a “globalist political agenda to deconstruct the nation that employs him.” He highlighted a 2021 article on Mitchell in the publication “Education Week” that stated the then-principal’s desire to create a school where teachers and staff come from all walks of life and accept each other’s differences, according to the article.
Baccich went on to call Mitchell a Marxist who hates God and white males and criticized the superintendent for a recent message posted to the school division’s website informing county residents that school officials will not inquire about the immigration status of students or their families and that confidential student information will only be disclosed to authorities “in strict compliance with state and federal laws.”
“I know I stand with millions when I say I detest your efforts to poison the minds of the young people, enticing them to despise their own sex, the very image of God in themselves, their own skin color and their own blessed nation, America,” Baccich said. “What you do is criminal. It’s child abuse. It’s not education. Calling what you do education is like calling Jack the Ripper a woman’s benefactor. America has had enough of you. You and your Marxist colleagues are on the wrong side of history.”
Baccich referred to Spotsylvania County Public Schools as the “so-called Fredericksburg school system” and didn’t respond when school board member Nicole Cole asked if he lived in the county. However, Lee Hill District representative Lisa Phelps said he is a Virginia resident.
After the second speaker of the night went after Mitchell over a Twitter post from several years ago criticizing supporters of President Trump, the embattled school chief received a timely morale boost.
An organized effort from the Spotsylvania County NAACP, local fraternities and sororities and other members of the Black community encouraged Mitchell to press on despite the challenges he’s faced since his tenure began on Aug. 1.
Spotsylvania NAACP President Moe Petway noted that February is Black History Month, and leaders of the civil rights organization wanted to recognize Mitchell for making history in the county.
“Dr. Mitchell, I want you to know that you’re in the right place at the right time and you’re the right person to come to Spotsylvania County to manage our school division,” Petway said. “I want you to know also that throughout history whenever people of color completed all of the requirements, and many times exceeded them, jumped through all the hoops to reach highest level of your profession, there’s always been people there to provide opposition to you.”
Petway reminded Mitchell that some people would attempt to humiliate him and discourage him no matter his qualifications. He said the Black community in the county has taken notice of Mitchell’s commitment to excellence and wants to help him succeed.
“Superintendent Mitchell, I want you to know that I see the good work that you do,” Battlefield District resident Wilhelmina Sumpter added. “You have responsibility for 24,000 students, 1,900 teachers and 29 schools and I know the weight that you carry … You may not see [your supporters]. You may not hear them. But there are a lot of people in this community who support you and I want you to know that.”
The Mitchell backers who spoke publicly grew concerned about the treatment he’s received from some county residents, including being called a “DEI hire,” a reference to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
During his remarks, Mitchell stood by his decision to post the message to the community regarding student immigrants, noting that he was once an immigrant from St. Lucia. He also said that while he respects the public comment portion of meetings and free speech, “I’m not going to tolerate people with the blatant disrespect.”
In an interview with the Free Press on Tuesday, Mitchell said that it gave him “pure joy” to see community members stand up for him.
“Man, that was a surprise,” the superintendent said. “I had no idea and all I can say is it was heartfelt and very emotional. For the first time in a long time, it wasn’t as lonely as it has been. For the first time, I felt protected, and I felt I had a shield around me that I did not know that I had. To see the Black community and many of the leaders in the community come out and support my leadership in this difficult time, was God sent.”
