The Attack on York County Schools

The York County School Division has been under attack for years but most of us never realized it.

A Timeline of Events (with Evidence)

In 2021, a movement to defund YCSD was proposed (see close up here). Kim Goodwin, Lynda Fairman, and their campaign manager, Delois Stallman spoke at a Board of Supervisors meeting in favor of defunding the schools.
Between 2021 and 2023, Kim Goodwin and Lynda Fairman made many social media posts claiming that CRT was being taught in YCSD, and that teachers were indoctrinating students. Kim Goodwin made many racist statements including that she didn’t know if slaves were happy because she hadn’t met one herself. She later blamed people of color for feeling oppressed and suggested they act more like “the Jews”. She also doxxed a YCSD minor on social media. Lynda Fairman doxxed a teacher that they thought was teaching CRT in Toano, VA.
Kim Goodwin and Lynda Fairman were recruited by Delois Stallman, a frequent guest on Steve Bannon’s War Room and vice chair of the local Republican Party to run for school board because of their far-right, political beliefs and their hatred for the YCSD superintendent, Victor Shandor. Zoran Pajevic was also recruited to be the third vote so that the school board would flip.
In 2022, Lynda Fairman was blocked from substitute teaching from many YCSD public schools due to her treatment of students, her refusal to follow sub plans, and her controversial statements to high school history students regarding the holocaust.
In summer of 2023, Lynda Fairman, Kim Goodwin, and Zoran Pajevic went on a far-right political podcast and announced that they would fire the YCSD superintendent if they got elected. See shortened clip here.
In the summer and fall of 2023, Lynda Fairman, Kim Goodwin, and Zoran Pajevic ran campaigns claiming they wanted to keep “politics out of schools”, yet they received thousands of dollars from political donors and PAC money . Their names had an “R” next to them on the republican sample ballot, even though school board candidates are supposed to be non partisan. Many people voted down the ticket. They even added an “I” next to other candidates’ names who did not authorize them to identify them in any political capacity.
Upon being elected, Lynda Fairman sent a very rude reply (page 1) (page 2) to Dr. Shandor’s congratulatory email (page 1) (page 2) with unrealistic expectations, which has initiated the creation of a hostile work environment.
January 8, 2024 -At the first meeting of the new school board, an organizational session, Lynda Fairman, Kim Goodwin, and Zoran Pajevic voted Lynda Fairman as chair and Kim Goodwin as vice chair, despite their inexperience. At this meeting, they discussed using YCSD money to hire their own private clerk, bringing prayer into school board meetings (despite potential lawsuits), getting rid of student laptops, and reducing student awareness of the signs of suicide in our youth during this mental health crisis.
January 17, 2024 – Lynda Fairman asks members of the Breakfast Club, including members of a local militia to video tape YCSD staff (counselors) during a “Family Life Education Preview Night” at Dare Elementary School. She also ordered the school board office to video tape it with an unrealistic turn around time.
January 29, 2024 – At the first regular school board meeting, the first invocation was done by Pastor Russell Evenson from the World Outreach Worship Center (WOW) in Newport News. This pastor has boasted about helping flip the YCSD school board. His sermons include statements that women regularly engage in bestiality and fornication with fallen angels. He has stated, as fact, that scientists in Europe have opened a portal to hell and are in communication with actual demons. Members of the militia were present and spoke at the meeting, then took down the names of those speaking against the school board and later used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to ask for the names of all YCSD employees who spoke at the meeting.
February 5 – A previously recorded video (full version) of Bob Herget from “York County Poquoson Community Missions” was exposed. In this video, Herget explains how he plans to trick the public into accepting his group as a community mission before revealing that it is actually a local militia. He claims to have 3 school board candidates working for him. He also claims that 16-year-olds can be recruited for the militia. See cropped version here.
February 12 – School board work session. Jimmy Richardson reveals to the public that Lynda Fairman sent members of the militia to videotape YCSD counselors and that the militia was seeking the names of all school employees that spoke up against the new board. Mark Schafer reveals that they have a tsunami of emails from concerned citizens regarding the direction of this new school board. He made a motion to vote Jimmy Richardson as chair until Lynda Fairman had more experience on the school board. The motion failed when Kim Goodwin, Lynda Fairman, and Zoran Pajevic voted against it.
February 26 –Regular school board meeting. Lynda Fairman attempts to silence speakers. Kim Goodwin made a statement claiming that she does not believe in slavery and that she does not believe that YCSD students are being indoctrinated despite all the evidence to the contrary. Lynda Fairman interrupts Victor Shandor while he has the floor.
March 11 – School board work session. The Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) representative presents all the services they provide such as policy writing services and lawyers.
March 19, 2024 – Kim Goodwin and Lynda Fairman removed themselves from the platform “Let’s Talk” after musing at a previous meeting about why they were receiving so many anonymous messages. By removing themselves from the platform, teachers, parents, and students, no longer have a way of reaching out to the school board Chair and Vice Chair anonymously. Any communication with the Board now puts staff at risk for retaliation and exposure through FOIA requests.
March 25 – School board meeting. Lynda Fairman attempts to silence the parents and community members who signed up to speak. The School Board Member Alliance (SBMA) representative presents on their limited services (no lawyers in the alliance). They are a very political, far right group with limited members. This group was formed one year ago by disgraced Suffolk City school board member Sherri Story. Kim Goodwin and Lynda Fairman used YCSD (taxpayer) funds to purchase their memberships in January. During this meeting, they vote to use policy writing services from both the VSBA and the SBMA. Lynda Fairman attempts to silence beloved former school board member of 30 years, Barbara Haywood. Kim Goodwin refuses to acknowledge a historian’s plea to denounce slavery.
March 29 -Kim Goodwin asks the school attorney to give them the names of those people who request FOIAs.
YCSD teachers are already starting to leave the division, citing the new school board members as their reason.
April 16 – It was revealed that Kim Goodwin is seeking legal action against a YCSD teacher simply for emailing her a handful of times with repeated questions that she refuses to answer.
April 16 – A month after they voted in favor, it was revealed that Lynda Fairman never purchased policy writing services from the VSBA after all, placing the district in a very vulnerable position.
April 22 - School board meeting. Lynda Fairman wastes 11 minutes of the student and volunteer recognition ceremony to pretend like she doesn’t understand what fellow board member Mark Shafer is asking, and she attempts to trick school board attorney into stating on record that any school board member can make a motion to change school board policy (it doesn’t work). A citizen who is also an attorney cedes his time (42 seconds) to allow Kim Goodwin to apologize for her racist comments (she doesn’t). Lynda Fairman votes for the SBMA, but the rest of the board votes for the VSBA.
May 1 - Grafton Middle School teacher Todd Hoglund speaks with WAVY news to discuss the climate of fear in YCSD schools.
May 5 - School board work session. Lynda Fairman forgot what the board voted (or didn’t vote) on but argued about it anyway. Jimmy Richardson describes the number of times that the chair, Lynda Fairman, has broken policy law during her tenure, including signing contracts that the board had not voted upon. It was revealed that Lynda Fairman signed a contract for $2800 with the SBMA to provide training at the upcoming retreat (even though the training could have been completed for free). The legality of this move is very questionable as Lynda signed a contract without a vote, approval, or even knowledge from the rest of the school board.
May 7 - It is announced that the school board retreat has been cancelled. Currently, there is no make up date on the schedule.
May 20 - Regular school board meeting. Kim Goodwin makes another statement about her racist social media comments. She attempts to apologize but it is not an apology. YCSD teacher of the year makes a public comment stating that the hostile environment that the new board has caused her to leave YCSD for another job. Zoran Pajevic’s wife makes a public comment complaining about teachers who have spoken against the new board. She does not identify herself.
May 28 - Special school board meeting. A special meeting was called to discuss legal counsel requiring the provision of legal advice concerning possible litigation against the board and/ or board members related to the terms and conditions of the superintendent’s contract (closed session). A vote to remove Lynda Fairman from the chair position was approved and Kim Goodwin was replaced as board chair. Jimmy Richardson was voted in as vice chair.

The Attack on York County Schools

A Timeline of Events (with Evidence)

#SaveYCSD