Banned Books Used For Some Fairfax School Board Members' Swearing In

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — New and returning members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Fairfax County School Board were inaugurated Wednesday, with some school board members opting to use banned books on the topics of slavery and LGBTQ+ issues to take the oath of office.

The three at-large school board members sworn in were returning members Ilryong Moon and Ryan McElveen and new member Robert "Kyle" McDaniel.

McDaniel said in a statement he took the oath of office using the book "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi. The book about slavery has been subject to book bans in parts of the U.S., including in some Virginia school districts.

"'Homegoing', which was recently banned in Hanover and Spotsylvania counties, examines the legacy of slavery in our country," said McDaniel about his decision to take the oath using the banned book. "We owe it to our students to teach accurate, complete, and contextual history."

Banned books have been a hot topic in schools districts around the U.S. Fairfax County Public Schools had LGBTQ+ books that were pulled from the high school library shelves in 2021 due to complaints that the books contained pedophilia and sexually explicit material. After a review determined the complaints did not have merit, the books were allowed to return.

Another member using banned books was Providence District representative Karl Frisch, who took the oath of office using a stack of banned LBGTQ+ books, according to Annandale Today. Frisch is expected to become the school board chair in 2024, as current chair Elaine Tholen did not seek re-election in the Dranesville District.

The swearing-in ceremonies happened after the Nov. 7, 2023, election decided key state and local races, including all Fairfax County Board of Supervisors seats, Fairfax County School Board, Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, Clerk of Court, and Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District.

On the Board of Supervisors, new members include Andres Jimenez as Mason District supervisor and Jimmy Bierman as Dranesville District supervisor. Jimenez is the first Latino man elected to the Board of Supervisors. He comes to the board after serving as an at-large Fairfax County planning commissioner, board secretary for the Culmore Clinic and executive director of nonprofit environmental group Green 2.0. Bierman is a McLean native who has most recently worked as an attorney advisor at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is part of Fairfax County's Police Civilian Review Panel.

Returning Board of Supervisors members include Chairman Jeff McKay, James Walkinshaw in the Braddock District, Rodney Lusk in the Franconia District, Walter Alcorn in the Hunter Mill District, Dan Storck in the Mount Vernon District, Dalia Palchik in the Providence District, Pat Herrity in the Springfield District, and Kathy Smith in the Sully District. The Board of Supervisors has a blue majority with all Democratic members except Herrity.

The 10-member Board of Supervisors serves four-year terms and sets county government policy, makes appointments to various positions, and passes land use plans. In addition, the board approves an annual budget and sets the local tax rate.

On the Fairfax County School Board, Democratic-endorsed candidates were sworn in to 12 seats. School board members are elected for four-year terms and set policies for Fairfax County Public Schools, including annual budgets and capital project schedules.

Other school board members sworn in were Rachna Sizemore Heizer, an at-large representative who will become Braddock District representative; Robyn Lady in the Dranesville District; Marcia St. John-Cunning in the Franconia District; the returning Melanie Meren in the Hunter Mill District; the returning Ricardy Anderson in the Mason District; Mateo Dunne in the Mount Vernon District; Sandy Anderson in the Springfield District; and Seema Dixit in the Sully District.

The county's inauguration ceremony also included returning Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, as well as new Clerk of the Court Chris Falcon.

Ahead of the inauguration, Descano outlined his priorities for his next term — incorporating data into all prosecutor decision-making, meeting the demand for the diversion program, addressing gun violence with the Red Flag Law team, and advocating for public safety.

"I got into this work to build a justice system that better reflects our community’s values. I’m encouraged by the progress we’ve made so far, but reforming institutions is long, hard work, and we are just at the beginning," Descano shared. "I’m grateful to have earned your trust for another term as we endeavor to sustain our reforms for the future of Fairfax County."

Terms run from Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2027.