September 30, 2020
NewsDaily NewsSeptember 30, 2020

VSBA Resources related to COVID-19 
Visit the dedicated Coronavirus resource page on the VSBA website to see the latest updates and resources.

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…

Lawmakers expanded school districts’ ability to go solar. But in Southwest Virginia, a utility contract is getting in the way.
With school districts bracing for slashed budgets as the COVID-19 pandemic drags beyond its sixth month, there’s one bright spot on the horizon: the sun. No, literally, the sun. In Virginia, 2020 has been a banner year for school solar. The commonwealth broke into the top 10…

Washington County, Va. School Board changes return-to-school plan
The Washington County, Virginia School Board voted Monday night to change its back-to-school plan. Under the new plan, students will transition to a hybrid schedule on Oct. 12. This comes after the board approved a plan last week that had students going to a hybrid schedule…

Rockingham County School Board discusses the timeline for bringing more students back to the classroom
Superintendent of Rockingham County Public Schools Dr. Oskar Scheikl said schools are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and said there have been no new positive COVID-19 cases over the weekend. At the Sept. 28 meeting, he presented a possible…

Schools eye usage of new metrics on data portal from Virginia Dept. of Health
The Virginia Department of Health is releasing new data showing potential safety concerns when it comes to school reopening. The question now is how schools will use this data and how important will it be in the decision-making process. The new data uses guidelines from the…

High school student builds 50 desks for those in need during virtual learning
Students in Northern Virginia who don’t have a desk to do their schoolwork might now have the same opportunities as their peers, and it’s all thanks to one high school student. We stopped by Moss Building and Design near Chantilly where Colby Samide, a junior at Woodgrove High…

Danville Schools Superintendent wants parent feedback on kids back in the classroom
Students in Danville City Schools are still learning 100% virtually, but school leaders are figuring out what’s next. And unlike other divisions in our area, Danville is asking parents what they think the return to in person learning should look like. On Monday night, parents such as Chimere…

Prince William schools see 33 COVID-19 cases in September, one of them Virginia’s first lady
Prince William County Public Schools announced eight new positive staff or student COVID-19 tests from Friday, bringing its total number of positives up to 33 since the start of September. Since Monday, Sept. 21, there have been 26 positive cases. One of those cases is Virginia…

Virginia Beach students going back to school with masks and social distancing — and hoping it’s for good
It was back to school day Tuesday at W.T. Cooke Elementary School in Virginia Beach.  Students pre-K through second-grade returned to the school prepared to take up face-to-face education in the age of COVID-19. The children were greeted with signs that read…

Hanover School Board reaches agreement on new school names
The Hanover County School Board announced it has reached an agreement on the new names for the schools formerly known as Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson. The board signaled support during an open discussion for Mechanicsville as the new name for the high

Caroline students will stay virtual, while King George early elementary students will return part time
Caroline County public school students will continue to learn from home through December, while early elementary students in King George will return to school part-time next month. The two school boards voted on continuing education plans at meetings Monday evening…

Local citizens form FCPS1Equity group
A group of Fauquier County residents that includes teachers, parents and business owners has formed an organization called FCPS1Equity; its purpose is to convince the Fauquier County School Board to maintain current education models through the end of the first term in…

Chesapeake’s plan to return students to the classroom
Chesapeake schools has a plan to return fourth through 12th-graders to the classroom gradually over a month. Pre-K to third-graders are already in school five days a week in Chesapeake. The plan to return fourth through 12th-graders was revealed during Monday…

Lynchburg-area school divisions work to manage substitute teachers amid pandemic
With teacher absences more expected than ever because of the novel coronavirus, some Lynchburg-area school divisions are working harder to find and manage substitute teachers amid a pandemic, while others say that so far, their need for substitutes has not changed…

October 6, 2020 The Top 10 Things Every Board Member Should Know About Parliamentary Procedure
Join us and Ms. Mary Loose Deviney for a live webinar on October 6, 2020, at 12:00 noon to learn the top ten parliamentary procedures that every board member should know.  Parliamentary procedure can be tricky to learn, but Ms. Deviney, a Professional Registered…

October 7, 2020 VSBA Superintendent Evaluation Workshop
Are you prepared to evaluate your superintendent? The Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Superintendents developed by the Virginia Department of Education provide a wealth of information regarding the requirements. Filtering through this…