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Franklin City Public Schools has posted on its website that the town hall meeting to be hosted by Superintendent Dr. Carlton Carter tonight at Franklin High School has been canceled.

No explanation for the cancellation is provided within the post.

FCPS first announced the meeting Friday afternoon, Feb. 14, in the wake of a student-led protest Friday morning that was held in response to the school division’s recent decision to move Travis Felts from his longtime role as FHS principal to a position working out of Central Office. Additionally, a Franklin City Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 10, featured members of the public and council members expressing strong concerns and opposition to the decision.

Felts had been principal at FHS since 2012, and it was announced in a Feb. 10 FCPS news release that he had been appointed as the school division’s new director of extracurricular activities, Jobs for Virginia Graduates and virtual programs.

An announcement shared on social media Monday morning, Feb. 17, stated that citizens and parents of Franklin planned to gather at 5:30 p.m. on Monday in front of Franklin High School in peaceful protest of FCPS’ decision. 

The Tidewater News has received a report that the protest has been postponed due to the cancellation of the town hall meeting, which had been scheduled to run from 6-7:30 p.m.

With the anticipation that winter weather might interfere with the scheduling of the Franklin City School Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 20, the reported plan is for a peaceful protest to take place prior to the 7 p.m. Franklin City Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 24.