Augusta County supervisors have Chapstick fun at board meeting

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Photo by Bob Stuart, News-Virginian. Used with permission.

Augusta County’s supervisors showed a sense of humor at Wednesday night’s board meeting when the school superintendent walked to the podium to address them. On cue, all seven supervisors plus county administrator Pat Coffield pulled out tubes of Chapstick and applied it to their lips, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

Bob Stuart, political reporter with the News-Virginian, snapped a picture with his camera and posted it to the newspaper’s Facebook page, noting, “Members of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors put on Chapstick as Augusta County Schools superintendent Eric Bond comes to the podium. It was a joke in reference to the school district’s restrictions against students not being able to use Chapstick during the school day, unless applied by the school nurse.”

It’s been over a week since 10-year-old Grace Karaffa aka Chapstick Girl took her request to the Augusta County School Board asking that they reverse a ban forbidding students from having Chapstick lip balm at school (see Augusta County ‘Chapstick Girl’ has gone viral, AP, Fox News calling – Updated: School board responds).

Augusta County’s ‘Chapstick Girl’ has gone viral, AP, Fox News calling – UPDATED: School board responds

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Ten-year-old Grace Karaffa’s common sense question asking why it is against Virginia’s Augusta County School Board rules to carry Chapstick to school has gone viral. Now Fox News has come calling.

Grace attended last week’s school board meeting armed with petitions that included over 200 signatures asking that they reconsider the rule prohibiting students from carrying lip balm to school. She has become the Shenandoah Valley’s “Chapstick Girl.”

I wrote earlier this week (see Grace Karaffa, 10, petitions Augusta School Board to allow Chapstick in schools):

Grace Karaffa, 10, petitions Augusta School Board to allow ChapStick in schools

Grace Karaffa

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Augusta County Supervisor David Karaffa, 30, had better watch his back. He has political competition from within the four walls of his own home. Karaffa’s ten-year-old daughter Grace petitioned the Augusta County School Board at their Thursday night meeting to have the school system’s ChapStick policy changed. ChapStick in Augusta County is categorized by the school system as a medication.

Armed with petitions that held more than 200 signatures, Grace attended the meeting to address representatives and presented her position asking school officials to allow students to have possession of the regular, non-medicated lip balm at school.

WHSV TV-3 was there and picked up her story for their broadcast (see video of school board meeting). Political reporter Bob Stuart was there for the News-Virginian (see Student’s chapped lips lead to policy change request).