CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. β Chesterfield County School Board members officially accepted the resignation of Dot Heffron during a special meeting Tuesday, following controversy over a social media post the Clover Hill district representative made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
On September 19, Heffron provided a resignation letter confirming her decision to step down. The board accepted her resignation on the consent agenda during Tuesday's meeting.
Heffron's decision to leave was prompted by a social media post she made on a private account following Kirk's death. The post read: "Call me old fashioned, but I remember when we used to be okay with shooting Nazis."
In her resignation letter, Heffron apologized for her comments, stating she is stepping down because she doesn't want her "mistake to overshadow the vital work happening in our schools." While she was not in attendance at Tuesday's meeting, her resignation letter states she won't officially step down until the end of December 2025.
The board initially planned to vote on holding a special election in December to fill Heffron's position. However, after hearing from the registrar's office that an election that soon would not provide enough time for early voting, the board voted against holding the election this year.
Lisa Hudgins said the December 9 date was suggested with the goal of having a smooth transition.
"When we suggested the December 9 date, it was with the thought that we would have as smooth as transition as possible at that point. We did not realize that we would also need early voting in the special election," Hudgins said.
Instead of the December special election, the board plans to appoint an interim board member who will start January 1 and hold Heffron's position until they can have a special election sometime in early 2026.
"I think the best path moving forward would be to name an interim and place a date for a special election later," Steven Paranto said.
The appointment process will include applications and interviews, with community input on what residents want in a representative.
"There will be an application process, an interview process," Chatters said. "The community will be able to provide feedback on what they're looking for in a representative."
The board did not state the exact date applications for the interim position will open, but said they will communicate with the public when the process begins.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
π²: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
