April 20, 2021
NewsDaily NewsApril 20, 2021

Webinar, April 22, 2021 Project IGuardian
Project iGuardian is presented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Project iGuardian is an HSI initiative “designed to inform youths, parents, and educators about the risks that children face in the online environment” that also “aims to arm  educators…

First Annual VSBA Student Essay Contest, Deadline April 30
The Virginia School Boards Association is holding a personal essay/speaking contest where the winner will have an opportunity to present before an audience of more than 300 school board members and administrators at the 2021 Virtual VSBA Conference on Education held July 20…

The Caroline Cruiser aims to connect families to the school division
In a rural county like Caroline, keeping families connected with the school system in a virtual environment has been especially challenging. Thirty percent of the school population of about 4,100 students is without high-speed internet, and some students were already living…

Swindler announces plans for outdoor graduation, senior prom at school board meeting
The mood at the Rappahannock County Public School Board meeting on Tuesday night was at once relieved and triumphant, reflecting the schools’ sense of achievement after successfully bringing all students in grades K-12 back to in-person learning four days a week. The evening…

Bluebirds Are Special Guests At Bluestone Elementary
Nothing says spring like the chirping of baby birds in their nests. Students at Bluestone Elementary School are eagerly awaiting the arrival of four baby bluebirds in the nesting boxes they had installed in March in order to attract and observe bluebirds, as well as other nesting…

Newport News schools are open. But numbers show many students aren’t coming back.
Calvin Griffiths was excited to finally go back to 11th grade at Warwick High School in-person in March. He missed his friends in the International Baccalaureate program, and after struggling in online classes, he hoped in-person school would help. But most classrooms were nearly…

Robotics teams gets grant
Appalachian Power has awarded the FIRST Robotics Team 1262, based at New College Institute, a grant of $4,450. The team members are Sheccid Lara-Diaz  and James Li of Martinsville High School; James Li, Jacob Gray, Joshua Graham, Autumn Wingfield, Nicholas…

RPS School Board to vote on fall reopening plan
School leaders in Richmond are set to vote on back to learning plans for the fall. Superintendent Jason Kamras’ “Reopen With Love” plan has in-person learning starting on September 8. Families will get to choose between in-person learning or virtual learning, though RPS officials…

BVPS to host clinic to administer Pfizer vaccine to students 16 & older at Virginia High School
Bristol Virginia Public schools will administer the Pfizer vaccine to students at Virginia High School next week. According to Superintendent Keith Perrigan, the vaccine will be available to students ages 16 and older on Monday, April 19. Perrigan said the vaccination clinic will allow…

Teacher accuses parent group of ‘racism’ after group criticizes LCPS equity efforts
During the April 8 meeting of the Loudoun County School Board’s Equity Committee, a Loudoun County Public Schools teacher accused a local parents group of racism in response to that group’s continued allegations that LCPS is employing critical race theory in its employee…

Schools and youth groups kick off statewide campaign to encourage safe teen driving during upcoming high-risk months
More teen drivers in Virginia will be involved in traffic crashes between the months of May and August than any other time of the year, statistics show. To help save lives and prevent crashes during the high-risk warm weather months, Virginia schools and youth groups have begun a…

Virginia lawyers weigh in on legality of schools mandating COVID-19 vaccine
As more adults get COVID-19 vaccinations, some are turning their attention to kids, and students. Many are wondering if public schools and universities will begin to issue new vaccination mandates. Requiring certain vaccinations for students before they enter a…

Radford City Schools announces virtual academy, providing online learning opportunities free of charge
Radford City Public Schools has announced that it will be providing a virtual program to support the changing needs of students starting in the 2021-22 school year. The new program, VIIRTUAL Academy will help the district provide the most robust virtual learning platform…

Prince William high schools announce in-person graduation ceremonies
Prince William County schools had good news this week for the county’s 6,700 high school seniors: In-person graduations are a go. The county’s school division announced on Thursday in-person graduation plans for all 12 Prince William high schools as well as PACE West, the…

Former Virginia Beach School Board candidate submitted petitions some say they never signed
Justin Burns, a former candidate for the Virginia Beach School Board, carried nominating petitions that included the names and purported signatures of people who told The Independent News they did not sign them. Burns faces two felony charges related to nominating petitions…

VSBA 2021 Food for Thought Competition
The VSBA would like to invite you to participate in the eighth annual Food for Thought Competition, a friendly competition between Virginia’s school divisions to showcase their programs that combat childhood hunger, provide healthy school meals, and encourage…

2021 Budget Workshop, May 6, 2021
Join us for the VSBA’s Budget Training workshop to learn more about the importance of The Board’s Role in Developing the School Budget. In this virtual workshop, based on member requests, board members will learn their role in the budget process and how it relates to the…