January 26, 2021, VSBA Orientation for New School Board Members and Superintendents, Virtual
Becoming a new school board member or superintendent is an honor and a privilege. Enjoy a successful and less stressful transition by attending the VSBA Orientation for New Board Members & Superintendents. Many important topics will be covered, including the roles and…
February 17, 2021, VSBA Title IX Best Practices in Training & Compliance
With claims of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct hitting newsstands everywhere, Title IX coordinators and other senior staff need to be confident in their knowledge and enforcement of their divisions’ policies. Prevention and thorough investigations are the best ways to…
Grant to help Roanoke expand COVID-19 education outreach
Roanoke will receive about $50,000 of emergency money from the state to keep residents informed about COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. The Roanoke City Council accepted the money Tuesday from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and approved…
Mitigation strategies against COVID-19 in Roanoke County schools working, officials say
The percentage of students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Roanoke County Public Schools remains in the single digits, according to division officials. Approximately 4% of in-person students and 6% of staff have tested positive for the virus, Executive Director…
Apparent COVID-19 outbreak at Rappahannock County High School leads to distance learning
News sent to the homes of high school students this evening from Rappahannock County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shannon Grimsley is not what parents and guardians wanted to hear: “We are switching RCHS to distance learning on Tuesday, January 19 in order to…
Prince William middle school teacher placed on leave after telling students he attended U.S. Capitol protest
A teacher at Fred Lynn Middle School in Woodbridge has been placed on leave after appearing to tell his students during a Zoom class last week that he was present at the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. A student in the class took a video of the teacher, Benjamin Plummer, talking…
Amherst schools at-home learning week set to begin Feb. 8
Amherst County’s public schools will observe an at-home learning week before the start of the division’s second semester in mid-February. The Amherst County School Board voted 6-1 during its Jan. 14 meeting, with member Ginger Burg opposed, to approve the measure…
HCPS offers series of family workshops
The winter edition of Henrico County Public Schools’ Bridge Builders Academy workshop series will debut Jan. 19. The series is designed to help foster connections among families, the community and the school division. It kicks off this series with “Parenting with Adverse…
Mathews teacher pleads against staff reductions
On the same night that the Mathews School Board moved ahead with its proposed budget that includes plans for the eventual consolidation of the county’s elementary and middle schools, the board heard an impassioned plea to reconsider moving ahead with consolidation and any…
Sen. Kaine discusses legacy of MLK with GHS students
Sen. Tim Kaine paid homage to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Friday morning by discussing the civil rights leader with students of Gloucester High School social studies teacher Dianne Carter De Mayo. Included among the students attending virtually were several members of the…
PBS NewsHour honors two Dominion High School student journalists
Two student journalists from Sterling’s Dominion High School, senior Kevin Myers and 2020 graduate Morgan Fischer, landed on a PBS NewsHour list of 20 up-and-coming storytellers under 20 years old, according to Loudoun County Public Schools. The NewsHour’s Student…
Kamras proposes $341 million spending plan to school board
Richmond schools Superintendent Jason Kamras on Tuesday proposed a budget for the next fiscal year with raises for all employees, targeted spending on socio-emotional supports and other costly COVID-19 measures mostly covered by anticipated federal aid. The nearly $341…
Charles City schools to survey on possible return to in-person instruction
As school districts begin to weigh the possibility for in-person learning once again, Charles City County Public Schools are using recently established guidelines to develop a survey to determine when, or if, students will return to buildings. Charles City Superintendent of…
Forced to ensure sparsely populated gyms, Nelson filling stands with 2D fans
Gyms are nearly empty. Teams, their coaches, officials and gameday workers are the only ones allowed through the doors for the 32-minute contests. Missing this year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, are the cheers after a made 3-pointer, the chants aimed at throwing opponents off…
Schools continue virtual program; effort to reinstate sports fails
One week after it shifted all classes online amid surging COVID-19 cases in Orange County, the Orange County School Board met for an update Monday morning. The nearly two-hour meeting included approximately a dozen school administrative staff and a handful of members of the…
School to go virtual until Feb.
Cumberland County Public Schools (CuCPS) has extended students’ return to virtual-only learning from one week to the remainder of the month following COVID-19 cases in the school employee population. After a social media post made by school officials last week, students…
February is VSBA School Board Appreciation Month
Salute the service of the almost 850 school board members in Virginia in February 2021 during School Board Appreciation Month. The theme — 115 Years of Providing Leadership Advocacy and Support — reflects the partnership of the Virginia School Boards Association with local…