8VAC20-390-80 provides:

It shall be the duty of the division superintendent to visit and inspect each school in his division. He shall inquire into all matters relating to the management of the school, the course of study, method of instruction, and use of textbooks, and shall give particular attention to the conditions of the school buildings.

Last year, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Richmond Public Schools for all records for the past two years showing the required visits and inspections.  The response showed fire inspections, preventive maintenance of refrigeration equipment, kitchen inspections, and (in 2011 but not 2012) preventive maintenance of building systems.  Except for the fire inspections the records were not clear whether all schools had been inspected.  There was no indication that the Superintendent had conducted any of those inspections, and no mention whatever of inquiry into the "management of the school, the course of study, method of instruction, and use of textbooks" and no further mention of "particular attention to the conditions of the school buildings."

The notion that the Richmond Superintendent might conduct these inspections and not create any documentary record is beyond bizarre.  Moreover, in the absence of such records, the Richmond Superintendent is unable to demonstrate her compliance with the regulation.  Nonetheless, when I suggested to the State Superintendent that she fire the Richmond Superintendent for neglect of her duty under the regulation, the State Superintendent replied:

I am aware of no requirement in law of policy that superintendent visits to schools pursuanbt to 8 VAC 20-390-80 be documented.  The fact that such visits have not been documented by Richmond Public Schools therefore does not serve as evidence that the Superintendent has not complied with this regulation.

Thus, we have both the Richmond and State Superintendents grossly neglecting their duties.  Short of installing a State Superintendent who wishes to actually do her job, the only cure for this egregious nonfeasance is to fix the regulation to require that the Division Superintendent create records to demonstrate compliance with 9VAC20-390-80.  My petition requests that the Board of Education so amend the regulation.