Mathews County School Board chair Linda Hodges addressed “the elephant in the room” during the division’s convocation on Tuesday at Thomas Hunter Middle School.

She told those gathered that last year was tumultuous for the division, especially for Mathews High School, and that the tumult had spilled over into the other schools, as well. Such tumult can affect the community, she said, “but most of all there is an impact on our students.” Children sense when “something is awry,” said Hodges, because either they’ve overheard a conversation or they’ve noticed a change in the relationships between teachers.

Hodges told the story of how she had advised children over her 10 years as a school counselor to figuratively get back on their bike when they fell off. She said she realized how difficult her advice was to follow when she took the family dog for a walk while she was riding her own bike and actually fell off.

“At that moment,...