Chesterfield School Board member calls for community forums following racist social media post

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A Chesterfield County School Board member is calling for community conversations about racism in the school system after an altered image involving a Huguenot High School football player circulated on social media.

“It affected the community at large, and I personally see that image as racist and threatening and wildly inappropriate,” Dale District School Board member Dominique Chatters said Tuesday in a school board meeting.

The image, which CBS 6 is not showing, began circulating last month following a football game between Huguenot and Midlothian high schools.

The post showed an altered image of a Huguenot football player’s face placed on the body of Nolan Wells, a Mississippi teenager whose mysterious death over the Fourth of July weekend received national attention.

Midlothian High School’s principal said a school board investigation determined the post was made by a student who was not a member of the Midlothian football team.

Chatters said the incident was painful for members of the community.

“It’s disgusting and it still hurts,” she said.

Chatters said the concerns extend beyond this single incident. She said she has heard from families throughout Chesterfield County about other racial issues they say they have experienced.

“I have received countless conversations and phone calls and emails from families across Chesterfield County, not just Dale District, about racial issues they’ve encountered in our county and our schools,” Chatters said.

Chatters told CBS 6 reporter Kelsey Jones the latest incident pushed her to bring those concerns into the open and begin working toward community forums where students, parents and other residents can discuss their experiences.

“I want residents to be heard. I want our community to be seen, and I know there are so many ideas out there that we could come to together on how we can bridge the gap in the ignorance,” she said.

Chatters said she is working with Chesterfield County Public Schools’ Office of Equity, the NAACP and VCIC to plan the forums.

She hopes the conversations will help identify problems within the community and eventually lead to potential policy recommendations for the school board.

“I need to understand what the problem is so that I can make a recommendation for policy, and that’s what I’m hoping to get some recommendations on how we can move forward to make things better,” Chatters said.

School board leaders said the first community forum is expected to be held before the end of the year. A date, time and location have not yet been set.

This is a developing story, so check back with WTVR.com for updates. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have info, photos or videos to share.