April 21, 2021
NewsDaily NewsApril 21, 2021

LIVE 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…

New Collective Bargaining Service
In association with Haney Phinyowattanachip PLLC, VSBA is pleased to offer services related to the collective bargaining process. Services would be tailored to the specific circumstances of each school division and may include providing input on the required and recommended…

Albemarle schools won’t be adding more in-person days this academic year
The Albemarle County school division is not planning to add more days of in-person instruction for the rest of this school year; however, all students will have access to five days per week of in-person classes next school year. “What we’re saying is that’s the default unless something…

Richmond public school officials unanimously approve back-to-school plans for fall
The Richmond School Board unanimously approved a plan Monday for Richmond Public Schools students to return to school for five days a week next school year, striking an alternative plan for hybrid instruction. After feedback from families, Superintendent Jason…

Alexandria City Council unanimously adopts collective bargaining ordinance
After months of fine-tuning, the Alexandria City Council unanimously passed a collective bargaining ordinance on Saturday. Its passage was praised by Alexandria’s employee unions as a step forward in employee rights. “I want to thank you, the members of the City Council, for…

School system mistakenly releases names of students, staff with COVID
The local school system failed to properly redact personal information from a document requested through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, inadvertently releasing to a parent last week the names of all Chesterfield County Public Schools students and employees who…

Chesapeake Public Schools to have in-person graduation at ODU
Chesapeake Public Schools will hold an in-person graduation for the senior class of 2021 at the S.B. Ballard Stadium at Old Dominion University. Superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton said the school is bringing back in-person graduation, after the pandemic forced school leaders to…

Northern Virginia high schools announce plans for in-person graduations in spring
As COVID-19 vaccine eligibility opens up to everyone over the age of 16-years-old in Virginia, high schools are planning for in-person graduation ceremonies this spring. On April 1, 2021, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued an executive order that included preliminary guidance for…

Salem City Schools and Virginia Cooperative Extension launch Garden-To-Go program
Salem City Schools and the Virginia Cooperative Extension have launched the Garden-to-Go project. Pre-pandemic, the organizations were planning to provide gardening and nutrition education programs to the classroom. But the pandemic created new challenges, so Salem…

After student concerns, Va. governor expands capacity for school musicals & plays
On Monday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said he would expand capacity limits at school fine arts performances such as musicals and plays. The governor made the announcement while speaking at a new mass vaccination clinic in Fairfax County. ”Currently, performance…

Hopewell student representing Virginia in first virtual Poetry Out Loud national competition
Hopewell High School senior Azhane Pollard is representing Virginia on a national stage at the first virtual Poetry Out Loud semifinals. She’ll be competing for the chance to win $20,000, selected as one of 55 finalists among an average of 250,000 annual participants…

No proms for Chesapeake seniors this year. But all students can take in-person classes full time in the fall.
With a new law requiring all Virginia public schools to offer full time in-person instruction starting this fall, Chesapeake is doing away with the system it’s used during the pandemic that offered families a choice of some in-person classes or all virtual ones. The district, which serves…

Virginia’s first lady tours North Fork Middle School
Virginia first lady Pamela Northam visited area schools on Tuesday, including a stop at North Fork Middle School. Northam, who also visited schools in Rockingham and Page counties, said it was great just seeing kids being back in school and doing in-person learning. “It has been…

Henrico Schools’ Bridge Builders Academy plans family workshops

Guidance on Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Requirements and Waiver Requests under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund.
The U.S. Department of Education has released guidance that addresses maintenance of effort requirements among the COVID-19 recovery laws that include education stabilization funds. The link above will take you to the updated information from the U.S. Department of Education:

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…