March is VSBA Equity in Education Month
In an effort to encourage equity in education, the VSBA Board of Directors has designated the month of March as VSBA Equity in Education Month. For more information on the month-long webinar series, a copy of the governor’s proclamation and additional resources follow the link above.
March 17, 2021, VSBA March Hot Topic
Join us as we gather virtually for an informative and important conference. This conference will be focusing specifically on multiple hot topics in education. You will hear from three leaders in public education throughout the event speaking on the topics of Race and Equity…
Virginia officials update COVID-19 guidance to schools, as more districts move toward reopening classrooms
About two-thirds of the state’s public school staff members have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and about 40% are fully vaccinated, Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday, as he continued to urge school districts to return to in-person education this spring…
Loudoun public schools to offer five days a week of in-person learning next fall
Loudoun County Public Schools will offer all students five days a week of in-person learning this fall, the interim superintendent told the school board Tuesday. Under repeated questioning from school board members, Scott A. Ziegler said that remote learning will end for what he expects…
Some Chesapeake students who need extra help could get more than 2 days a week in class
While most Chesapeake students who chose in-person school are there just two days a week, some could start getting more days in class under a new plan meant to help students who are struggling. Principals could choose to have those students in the building three or even four…
High School Students Creating Traveling COVID-19 Exhibit
It’s doubtful that many people will ever forget living through the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is a desire to document the isolation, the fear, the hope, the struggles and the loss that have come from it. And few have had as unique an experience during this time as teenagers. “It’s…
Expanding in-person learning has risks, benefits
Expanding in-person learning for students comes with risks and benefits, Dr. Colin Greene, director of the Lord Fairfax Health District, told the Winchester School Board on Monday night. The School Board will vote March 22 on whether to expand in-person learning for students in…
Franklin County school classrooms to reopen 5 days a week
The Franklin County School Board wants all of the district’s schools to hold in-person classes five days a week starting March 29. The votes taken by the board to set that scheme in motion were the most anticipated decisions made during an especially eventful meeting held Monday…
Norfolk school officials flout transparency law yet again
Maybe the Norfolk School Board thinks it’s funny to flout Virginia’s open government laws. Perhaps members don’t feel beholden to state statutes that require them to inform the public about meetings. Whatever their reasoning, the decision to hold a public meeting last week…
Mostly empty classrooms a new reality in Prince William
With all students who chose to return to in-person learning back in the classroom on a part-time basis, Prince William County Public Schools teachers and students are learning how to deal with a new reality: largely empty classrooms. Numbers will continue to change, but according…
Grafton High School teen starts foundation to honor her late father through chocolate
Haley Berland has been baking ever since she can remember. After her father, Kevin Berland, passed away of congestive heart failure in 2007 at the age of 44, Haley dreamed of the day when she could use her passion for baking to honor her father’s memory. Now a junior at…
Spotsylvania schools to expand in-person learning to four days a week in April
Students on a hybrid learning schedule in Spotsylvania County will attend school in person four days per week starting April 12. The School Board on Monday approved a recommendation from Superintendent Scott Baker to expand in-person learning opportunities from two days…
Drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses in Newport News will receive fines in the mail
Drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses in Newport News will soon receive fines in the mail. Newport News Public Schools and the Newport News Police Department partnered with BusPatrol to install stop-arm cameras on all 340 of the school system’s buses. Drivers caught…
Culpeper public schools anticipate 5-days per week, in-person classes come fall
All signs are that Culpeper County Public Schools will open next fall with most, if not all, students back in the classroom for face-to-face, every-day learning. That’s the gist of the conversation Monday night between county School Board members and division…
As many students as possible? Latest state guidelines leave door open for expanded in-person school.
Assuming the number of coronavirus cases in school buildings are sporadic and unconnected, new state guidelines emphasize bringing back as many students as possible even when case numbers are elevated. If schools aren’t seeing outbreaks and staffing and attendance is…
IWCS confirms FOIA settlement
Isle of Wight County schools paid $20,000 in attorney’s fees to settle two Freedom of Information Act lawsuits. Two civil lawsuits filed in late 2020 by Virginia Beach-based attorney Kevin Martingayle with the firm Bischoff Martingayle on behalf of county resident Kathryne…
Salem School Board approves expanded reopening plan
The Salem School Board on Tuesday unanimously approved the next iteration of Salem City Schools’ reopening plan. Starting March 22, third through 12th grade students will be able to attend in-person classes four days per week, an increase from the existing two-day plan…
Why aren’t more Richmond Schools teachers, staff fully vaccinated against COVID-19?
At least 40 percent of school staff across Virginia are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Governor Ralph Northam. But the number of staff members for Richmond Public Schools who are fully vaccinated does not even come close to that percentage. Twenty-three…
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…