Parent Testimonials

Parent and Neighborhood Family Testimonial

My name is Bradrick Fields, and Norfolk Highlands Primary has been an important part of my family’s life. My oldest son is graduating from Norfolk Highlands this year, and my youngest son will be returning next year as a second grader. I also have nephews who have already graduated from Norfolk Highlands, one who still goes there, and another who will be going by 2027. This issue is not just a policy discussion for us. It directly affects us and likely affects many other families the same way.

Norfolk Highlands has provided a familiar, supportive environment where my children have learned, grown, and built relationships. I like knowing my children attend a school close to home, surrounded by teachers, staff, and families who know and care about them.

Losing Norfolk Highlands Primary would definitely hurt many families in various ways. Neighborhood schools make daily life more manageable by reducing transportation burdens, helping parents coordinate work schedules, and allowing children to spend less time commuting and more time learning and participating in their community. We definitely enjoy the neighborhood school and it being in close proximity, especially as we coordinate with my sister to get the boys off the bus because we are in the same neighborhood.

Having a neighborhood school is about more than convenience. It allows children to walk or live close to where they attend school, develop friendships with children in their neighborhood, and build a stronger connection to the community around them. Schools help create the identity of a neighborhood and bring families together in ways that extend far beyond the classroom.

My concerns about the proposed change include the possibility of larger class sizes, increased transportation times, additional traffic around receiving schools, and the loss of a valuable community resource. I am also concerned that families may not have been provided with enough clear, publicly available information to fully understand the impact this change would have on students, staff, and the surrounding community.

Before moving forward, I ask the School Board to provide complete and transparent data regarding enrollment, capacity, class-size projections, transportation impacts, and any alternatives that were considered. I also encourage additional opportunities for public input so families can fully understand and participate in decisions that affect their children.

Norfolk Highlands Primary has been serving children since 1913. It has educated generations of families, including my kids now and nephews. My oldest son is graduating from Norfolk Highlands this year, and I will be attending his graduation ceremony next week. My youngest son is continuing on to second grade there next year, hopefully. This school is more than a building. It is a part of our community’s history and identity.

Therefore, as a parent, I hope the School Board carefully considers the impact this decision will have on current students, future students, families, and the community as a whole. Neighborhood schools matter, and any decision about their future should be made with transparency, meaningful community engagement, and the best interests of children at the center of the conversation.

— Bradrick Fields, Norfolk Highlands Primary parent

Former Teacher, Parent, and Behavior Analyst Testimonial

Currently, I have two children who go to Norfolk Highlands Primary. I taught at this school 20 years ago, moved to Hampton, and then, after having children, moved back so they could attend a school I remembered as safe, kind, and comforting based on my experience teaching here.

I taught in four different districts over a 15-year span, and I made the choice to come back to this specific area so my children could have the experience of going to this school and growing up in this community.

My sister and I have a total of five children. Three currently go to Norfolk Highlands Primary, and one more is expected to start in 2027. They ride the bus together, hang out after school, and have a bond that we have longed to see grow over the years.

My oldest son currently has straight A’s, and my youngest has all S’s. My oldest has received Student of the Month every year, and my youngest received it this year. Their teachers have told me how kind my children are and how they look out not only for themselves, but also for their classmates, including neurodivergent classmates.

I could not be prouder to be their mother. Norfolk Highlands Primary has been the best setting for my children. It has helped make them the amazing humans they are, and it continues to help them grow into the amazing people I know they will be as adults.

My children do not only know these children from school. They also know them on the baseball field, talk to them when we are walking our dog, and try to ride bikes with them.

That shows me they are not just drowning in technology. They are becoming well-rounded people by knowing the other children in our neighborhood and community.

As a behavior analyst, I have had to support many schools with behavior-management issues in classrooms. Typically, those issues come from oversized classrooms that are no longer manageable, where teachers can no longer give enough attention to students who are starving for it.

When looking at the data in any school system, and when looking at how PBIS works and everything teachers are being asked to provide, it becomes almost impossible to hold up that standard when classrooms are pushed toward 25 to 30 students.

So not only are students at risk of no longer getting the support they need, but behavior management suffers too. You also risk losing teachers, and teacher retention is already not in good standing in many schools.

When we look at how many long-term substitutes are working as “credentialed teachers,” we cannot ignore what our children may not be learning when classrooms are stretched too far.

Before the School Board moves forward with a decision that impacts so many lives and families, I ask that they please look at additional alternatives, have additional conversations that will put some of these concerns at ease, or leave Norfolk Highlands Primary open.

Unfortunately, I have personally seen districts make this type of decision, and I have seen the situations it can create firsthand. I know resources can only go so far if the classroom is not equipped to support what you are asking it to do.

— Crystal Fields, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA; Ed.S.; M.A. Special Education

PTA Board Member and Parent Testimonial

I am writing as the parent of a current first-grade student at Norfolk Highlands Primary School and as a PTA board member who has served our school community for the past four years.

My son attended the Norfolk Highlands reverse mainstream Pre-K program for two years before entering kindergarten and first grade. During those two years, students in the program were intentionally kept on the first floor of the building. This was done for good reason. I cannot understand how the current proposal would safely and effectively house an entire school of Pre-K and early childhood students throughout the building, especially when many of the classrooms require children to navigate multiple flights of stairs.

Even now, many first-grade students struggle with the stairs to their third-floor classrooms. Asking significantly younger children, including those with developmental needs, to do so daily raises serious concerns about safety, accessibility, and practicality.

Beyond the logistics, I am deeply concerned about the impact this decision will have on the children who call Norfolk Highlands home. My son has attended this school for four years. Just last week, we celebrated his seventh birthday, and every one of his closest friends from Norfolk Highlands attended. These friendships and connections are a critical part of his educational experience and emotional well-being.

From what I have seen, there has been very little consideration given to the social and emotional effects this closure will have on the students and families who have built their lives around this school community.

Norfolk Highlands is more than a building. It is a legacy. My parents attended Norfolk Highlands. My aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family attended Norfolk Highlands. Generations of families have passed through these halls, and the school has been a cornerstone of our community for decades.

If this proposal moves forward and my child is forced to leave Norfolk Highlands, I am seriously considering removing him from Chesapeake Public Schools altogether and homeschooling him using the education and experience I gained through Chesapeake Public Schools. I know I am not the only parent exploring alternatives. Many families feel that this decision is being made without adequately considering the needs and voices of the students and families who will be most affected.

I respectfully ask the School Board to reconsider this proposal, listen to the concerns of Norfolk Highlands families, and fully evaluate both the practical challenges and the long-term impact on our children and community before making a final decision.

— Amanda Finney, Parent of a First Grade Student at Norfolk Highlands Primary School and PTA Board Member

IEP Family and Neighborhood School Testimonial

I am a Norfolk Highlands parent, and my family is an IEP family. Routine matters in our house. Predictability matters. The adults, building, schedule, pickup routine, and familiar faces at NHP are not small things for us — they are part of how we make each school day work.

Moving our children to another school would not just mean a different building. It would throw off the routines and supports we have worked hard to build. I pick my children up from school so we can make it to doctor and therapy appointments on time. A longer commute would make that harder, and changing appointment times could put us back on waitlists for services that are already difficult to get.

Having a neighborhood school also matters because it teaches children how to belong somewhere. Seeing the same parents walk up to the door every day, saying good morning, recognizing neighbors, and building those small daily connections is part of how children learn to function in a community.

The proposed change does not clearly answer the questions parents are asking. What happens to class sizes? What happens with transportation? What are the rezoning options? Where is the funding coming from? Why use a three-story building for little four-year-old legs when other options may exist? Why move 300-plus students out of a school that is already serving this neighborhood?

Before moving forward, the School Board should be completely transparent with the research and data behind this proposal. The public deserves to know what other ideas were considered, whether NHP was the first choice, and why CPS believes this is better for the children and families already here.

— Norfolk Highlands parent

Retired NHP Teacher Testimonial

After teaching at Norfolk Highlands Primary for 20 of the best years of my 30-year career, I know what this school means to generations of children and families.

NHP is a neighborhood gem. It has a legacy that cannot be replaced by simply moving children around on a zoning map. I also have serious safety concerns about turning a three-floor building into a preschool center. Chesapeake Public Schools names safety as one of its core priorities, and placing preschool-aged children across multiple floors does not line up with that priority.

This community is strong, vocal, and deeply connected to this school. If CPS thinks this is a done deal, they are underestimating Norfolk Highlands.

— Retired NHP teacher

Parent and Former Student Testimonial

I bought my family home so my children could attend the same schools I did. Norfolk Highlands Primary is part of why we chose to stay here and raise our children here.

Now, depending on what happens, my family may be forced to completely reconsider how our children receive their education. I do not want my children spending even more of their day on buses when we live in the city and have a neighborhood school nearby. The bus situation is already difficult enough.

This proposal does not feel like it was made with the community or the safety of children in mind. A three-level school does not make sense as a preschool site, especially when there should be better one-story options somewhere in the district.

— Norfolk Highlands parent and former student

Norfolk Highlands Legacy Testimonial

Many families chose Norfolk Highlands because of the legacy of Norfolk Highlands Primary. Parents, grandparents, and now children have all been connected to this school.

This neighborhood has already carried deep losses before. The closing of the Ford Plant was a major wound for the Norfolk Highlands community. Taking away the neighborhood primary school adds insult to injury.

The Board may not expect the community response to this proposal, but Norfolk Highlands families will not forget being ignored. This school matters now, and the effects of losing it would be felt for years.

— Norfolk Highlands community member

Four-Generation Family Testimonial

This breaks my heart. My family has four generations connected to Norfolk Highlands Primary. My grandfather served as PTA President for multiple years, and our family has supported this school for decades.

NHP is more than just a school. It is a legacy and a community. Removing it as a primary school would not benefit this neighborhood.

Norfolk Highlands should not lose a school that has served families for generations.

— Four-generation NHP family member

Parent Safety and Community Testimonial

This proposal is devastating. It does not feel like CPS is thinking about the community or the safety of the children.

Turning a three-level school into a preschool center does not make sense. Young children should not be spread across multiple floors if safer and more suitable options exist elsewhere.

Before removing Norfolk Highlands Primary from this neighborhood, CPS needs to show why this building is the best choice, why safer alternatives were rejected, and how this helps the children who already live here.

— Norfolk Highlands parent