Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of profiles on candidates running in the November election for the Rockingham County School Board’s 3rd District seat. The profile on incumbent Matt Cross was published Aug. 5, and the article on Lauren Mullen will be published Aug. 7.
By Megan Cullins, contributor
For the second time in four years, Hilary Irons is running against Matt Cross for Rockingham County’s school board in the 3rd District — although a rematch wasn’t always the plan for Irons.
She wasn’t planning to run again until she said she received encouragement from community members. After praying about it, she said she decided to get in the race and is now competing with Cross to gain support of conservative voters in central Rockingham County.
“I became increasingly concerned by the tone and conduct of the current [district] three representative,” Irons said, referring to Cross. “I believe our school board should model professionalism, respect, humility, and accountability.”
Irons, a fitness instructor at a wellness center in Harrisonburg and mother of three children who go to Rockingham County Public Schools, lost to Cross with 33% of the vote compared to his 54.7% in a three-person race four years ago. Lori Mier finished third. This year’s campaign also has three candidates with Lauren Mullen, whose positions are more left-leaning, also running for in the district that covers Melrose, Keezletown, Massanetta Springs, Crossroads, Grottoes and Port Republic.
While Irons and Cross have both voiced support for many conservative principles and approaches, such as promoting parents’ roles in children’s education, the two candidates have disagreed over how to go about some efforts.
Irons, for instance, said she believes in the importance of school libraries, but says she believes that the books should be educational and age appropriate. While she agrees there shouldn’t be any books that “corrupt” students, decision-makers need to read books before banning them. One book that the board considered removing was “The Hate U Give.”
She said she was frustrated when some of those who sought to ban the book said they “don’t need to read it to know what’s in it..”
“I read the book and wrote a review on it,” Irons said.
Cross, in his re-election effort, has touted his role in removing books with sexual content from the school system shelves.
Since Cross joined the board, the district created a Content Review Committee made up of parents, members of the schools and librarians assess a challenged book and then recommend to the RCPS superintendent whether the book should be removed from libraries. The school board, after receiving the recommendation from the committee and superintendent, then votes on whether to remove the book. The board has sometimes agreed with and sometimes gone against the committee’s recommendations.
Another issue where Irons and Cross disagree is with flags in school spaces. Cross says he believes students’ pride to be an American should be reflected by displaying the American flag in school’s common areas and not flags from other nations. Irons said she believes that students can still be proud Americans while also seeing their culture and home country represented.
“They create a beautiful entrance to our school. The looks on the children’s faces in our school when they see the flag of the country that they are from is simply beautiful,” Irons said. “That they feel welcomed and recognize that it goes a long way to supporting education and learning. I’m a proud American, but I do believe when people come here that they should also want to be proud Americans and honor America, but we are also a melting pot of cultures.”
Neither Irons nor Cross has received a formal backing from the Rockingham County Republican Committee — yet. After each of them made their appeals to the group earlier this year, the GOP organization declined to endorse, but supporters of Cross successfully argued to reconsider endorsing Cross at the upcoming Aug. 7 meeting.
While that endorsement remains an open question, Irons received formal support from the Rockingham County Republican Women.
Leila Longcor, a member of the committee, said the group endorsed Irons over Cross because of Irons’ record of being an active parent in the school system.
“She will show up and be present as she has a history of doing that as the PTA president being on the booster club, running the swim team,” Longcor said. “When she makes a commitment, she shows up.”
Some Republicans who are supporting Cross for re-eleciton sought to undo the women’s group’s endorsement of Irons during the county Republicans’ July 16 meeting. But because the Republican Women are a separate committee from the County Republicans, the motion failed. The vote affirmed that the county GOP group cannot dictate rules and endorsements of the Republican Women.
Seeking a ‘culture where great educators want to stay’
Irons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Baltimore County, Maryland, but she moved to Harrisonburg about 20 years ago to attend JMU and stayed.
A topic that Irons said she is passionate about is parent’s rights. She said she believes that her children are hers and no one should get to know something about them that she doesn’t. She believes that parents should know everything about their kids and therefore can make the best decisions for them. This became an issue when school board members supported a policy that school employees should notify parents of a child who wants to go by a different name or use different pronouns.
Irons said she recognizes the work parents contribute to schools. She has worked with other parents at many school booster events and fundraisers for sports teams and other efforts.
Nina Jessup, a member of the Rockingham County Republicans, said in a statement to The Citizen after Irons’ endorsement interview with the party committee that Irons was “articulate, pleasant, and sensible.”
“I also appreciate her strong support of parental rights,” Jessup said. “She is a well-known, respected and loved leader in her church, school and local communities. I am happy to support this Christian conservative woman to be elected to the Rockingham County School Board.”
Irons said she believes it’s important that teachers feel supported-that she has heard from educators who feel unheard, undervalued, and even fearful of speaking up.
“We must foster a culture where great educators want to stay.” Irons said. “Supporting teachers means more than pay-it means creating a culture of respect, collaboration, and stability, where educators know their voices matter and their work is appreciated.”
Irons wants to support teachers by listening to teachers and protecting their professional integrity. She also said that as a school board member she will ensure teachers can do their jobs without fear of retaliation or politics getting in the way.
“The culture and schools for the last years across the nation has been pretty turbulent and teachers are really pure-hearted, caring people,” she said. “They work for pennies and they give so much of their time and energy and heart to our students, and I want to make sure they feel safe in their jobs — that they feel like they can use their passions to make their classrooms better.”
Technology and grading in the classroom
During its June 23 meeting, the school board looked at a proposal to purchase 1,000 Chromebooks and lease 1,700 Chromebooks for third, fourth and fifth graders.
Irons said she believes that technology is overused in schools. While she agrees that computers are tools students need to learn, she said she believes their overuse becomes a distraction for students.
She also said elementary school students shouldn’t have access to iPads and Chromebooks. When she sent her son to Redeemer Classical School, which is private, after they finished their work, they would sit down with a book or something to play with. Her son attended Redeemer Classical School during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am very frustrated at the high school level by the Chromebook. They’re distracting,” she said. “Sixteen-year-olds should be able to focus on their own, shouldn’t they? But they can’t. They’re putting a thing in front of them that is addictive and distracting.”
Irons said she believes technology has a place in schools — but, she added, students should not have as much one-on-one access and that it’s still important to have pencil and paper assignments.
Another change in the Rockingham County School District that Irons wants to examine is implementation of a new grading system in which students receive one grade for the whole year rather than a grade each quarter or semester.
When students get quarterly or semester grades, they can start anew with a clean slate after a couple of months, Irons said. With one grade for the whole year, she said students might find it difficult to recover if they have missed assignments or a couple bad test grades.
When it comes to physical wellness, Irons said she believes it is the foundation for learning, growth and confidence. And wellness isn’t just about exercise but nutrition, she said.
“These basics help build strong minds, strong bodies, and strong communities,” Irons said.
Irons said that she wants schools to support daily physical activity, quality school meals, and an environment that supports physical and mental health.
“I’m passionate about helping people live their best lives and their bodies as well,” Irons said. “You only get one body and then also it’s the vehicle we used to and I’m a very faithful person so to serve the Lord.”
Irons has experience working with the county schools’ Parent Teacher Organization, and she often helps organize meetings and events at her church.
“When I commit to something I commit to it fully and when my name is on something, I care to do it with excellence,” she said. “You only get one name, and my name means something to me and so I work really hard to make sure I understand the issues.”
‘Sharper with Irons’
Dena Hollar, a Rockingham County resident and an employee of the Augusta County School District, said she is supporting Irons because Irons is an educator and has volunteered in for Rockingham County schools for more than a decade.
“Her priority and focus is on the well-being and education of ALL students in RCPS,” Hollar said. “She is courteous and respectful when communicating with others and willing to listen to all future constituents, her community, and employees of RCPS … Hilary is aware and knowledgeable about finances, stays informed about best educational practices, is a team worker and organized.”
In Irons’ spare time she is involved with her church, which plays a big role in how she lives her life.
“I’m a faithful follower of Jesus and I really try, any person of integrity would, stick to their values and make decisions…My Christian values are always in the back of my mind and I follow Jesus,” Irons said. “The way he instructs us to treat people and not even just instructions but the way he modeled that for us is of great importance to me and how I engage with others so you know a leadership position I would see to model Christ like love to others.”
But above all, Irons said she is a mother first.
“The Bible tells us iron sharpens iron,” she said — adding that the school board will be “sharper with Irons.”
— Publisher Bridget Manley contributed to this article.
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