October 26, 2020
NewsDaily NewsOctober 26, 2020

October is VSBA Bullying Prevention Month
In an effort to promote awareness of school bullying, the VSBA Board of Directors has designated the month of October as VSBA Bullying Prevention Month. Childhood bullying is a significant problem nationwide. It can cause school absenteeism, mental and physical stress…

November 18-20, VSBA Virtual Annual Convention
The VSBA Annual Convention is the largest and most anticipated VSBA meeting of the year. While this year our Annual Convention may look a little different, and we won’t get to see your smiling faces in person, we hope you’ll find our event schedule to be just as enriching and…

Albemarle to revise mask policy after teachers raise concerns
Albemarle County schools Superintendent Matt Haas is planning to revise the division’s policy requiring masks or cloth face coverings. Haas’s decision, discussed at the end of Thursday’s School Board meeting, comes after the Albemarle Education Association sent a letter to…

Superintendent Recommends 5 Possible Names To Replace Mosby Woods
After the Fairfax County School Board voted earlier in October to change the name of Mosby Woods Elementary School, Superintendent Scott Brabrand presented five possible names. The name choices include a mix of references to people and a location. They include Katherine…

Virginia To Publish COVID-19 School Outbreaks As More Students Return To Classrooms
Virginia’s health department has launched a new coronavirus dashboard that will track COVID-19 cases in educational settings. The online page will list outbreaks in kindergarten through 12th grade public and private schools across the commonwealth, including associated cases and…

Henrico School Board votes for phased return to classrooms
Henrico County Public Schools students will be allowed back in classrooms in phased groups beginning Nov. 30, the School Board decided Thursday in a 4-1 vote. Students who choose to return will attend in-person classes four days a week, with Wednesday being a virtual day. A…

WPS temporarily closes 2nd school over COVID-19 operational impact
Winchester Public Schools announced Thursday that Daniel Morgan Intermediate School will temporarily close for in-person learning until Oct. 29 over coronavirus concerns. The closure is because eight staff members at DMIS are in quarantine following new requirements from the…

Radford High School Chamber Ensemble makes music apart, together
The arts have been hit hard by the pandemic, making it almost impossible to practice together in the same room. Radford High School has found a way to get by. The Chamber Ensemble has used its voices and technology to keep making music. Each student sang individually using a…

City School Board talks reopening plans
The Charlottesville School Board delved into an advisory committee’s recommendation Thursday to continue with online classes until January and mulled other logistics as they get ready to make a decision next month about reopening. School Superintendent Rose Atkins…

Some families are opting out of public school during the pandemic. The financial impact to the school system could be staggering
Mike and Christy Gasiorowski had never given much thought to sending their children to private school. And why would they have? Jack and Ella already attended two of the highest-performing public schools in Chesterfield County, Midlothian Middle and J.B. Watkins Elementary…

Assistant Superintendent: Gate City High School, Middle School to return to remote learning Oct. 26; 90 students in quarantine
Two Scott County Public Schools will be returning to remote learning due to upward trends of COVID-19 cases. According to Assistant Superintendent Jason Smith, Gate City High School and Gate City Middle School will be returning to remote learning on Monday, October 26…

Superintendent: Buchanan Co. Public Schools to reopen for in-person learning Monday
Buchanan County Public Schools will reopen for in-person learning on Monday, October 26. According to a post from Division Superintendent Melanie Hibbitts, all schools in the district will return to in-person learning Monday. The post says in part, “It is important for all students to …

George Wythe High School selected as next school construction project
George Wythe High School will be next school construction project in the City of Richmond, Mayor Levar Stoney announced Thursday. The high school first opened its doors on Midlothian Turnpike in 1960 and has since had one renovation in 1981. “Wythe is the space where these…

LCS board discusses results of 2019-20 Culture & Climate Survey
Lynchburg City Schools officials are focusing on improving equity in the division after receiving the results from the division’s 2019-20 Culture & Climate Survey. The survey, which received responses from less than 3,000 of the division’s 8,000 students, shows some students in the …

Some local schools will broadcast games online when high school sports resumes
High school sports are set to resume in Central Virginia in less than two months, but there’s still plenty of uncertainty surrounding their return, including the role of spectators at games. Area athletic directors have spent the past two months brainstorming ideas to come up with ideas…

ACPS administrators advocate to keep school resource officers
As part of its bi-annual review of the memorandum of understanding between Alexandria schools and the Alexandria Police Department, the Alexandria School Board held a closed community work session on Oct. 15, where community members voiced both criticisms of and…

October 30, 2020 Women in Leadership Virtual Discussion: Women of Color on the School Board
Please join us for a frank and courageous conversation about serving on a school board as a women of color. Hear from our three panelist and tell your story as well. Panelists: Karen Anderson Holman, Winchester, Virginia, Joyce Morley, DeKalb, Georgia, Ruth Veales…

November 5, 2020, Education Foundations Workshop
The Virginia School Boards Association would like to invite you to a workshop for school board members, education foundation professionals, volunteers and those interested in starting an education foundation in your school division. The workshop will feature education foundation…