by Virginia Mercury There’s a new building. A new tunnel. And lots of new politicians. The Virginia General Assembly will convene in Richmond today to begin its 2024 legislative session, a 60-day work period that’s supposed to end with a new, two-year state budget. Breakthroughs on the budget and other big policy items will again […]
After the 2018 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., former Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox announced he was setting up a rare select committee to look at school safety. The one topic it wouldn’t cover, the former Republican leader said, was guns. In response, three Democratic lawmakers appointed to the […]
by Dr. Babur Lateef As I enter my fifth year as chair of the Prince William County School Board, I will be overseeing my fifth budget and a new strategic plan. We have been fortunate to receive increased revenues from the state each year and have been a beneficiary of the recent increase in property […]
A petition to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for school employees and all eligible students failed this week when the Virginia Department of Health opted to take no action on the request. In a decision posted Monday, the agency stated that it lacked the “clear statutory authority” to mandate the shots for employees. Under state law, the department does have […]
Funding will support targeted initiatives to address pandemic-related learning loss RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced $62.7 million in Virginia LEARNS Education Recovery grants to help school divisions expand and implement targeted initiatives to address learning loss among Virginia students as they continue to recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. “Over the past year, […]
Alex Sakes also contributed to this report. In a press release issued Friday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam outlined his administration’s reopening plans for Virginia’s K-12 public schools, calling on them to provide an in-person learning option by March 15, 2021, in accordance with the health guidance the Northam Administration put forward in January and new research from the […]
As a school year like no other progresses into the winter months and students are slowly beginning to go back into the halls of Prince William County schools, parents and community activists are focusing on the years ahead. Last week during two days of special sessions, many came out to let their voices be heard […]
There is a fundamental problem within public schools, and it is not just the decision to keep them open during the pandemic. It is a problem that has permeated since Brown v. Board of Education. While the landmark Supreme Court decision declared that “separate but equal” is unconstitutional in the educational system, it came at […]
As the Prince William County 2020-2021 school year enters Quarter 2, the plan is for the county to pursue a robust in-person establishment for all grade levels. Over the weekend, the Prince William Education Association released a statement in support of maintaining the current model, which is virtual for students K-12, save for Special Education […]
As the first quarter of the 2020-2021 school year winds down, the plan remains per the Prince William County School Board to return to in-person learning for the second quarter. While there has been support for the move, with some parents hosting demonstrations tomorrow at local schools starting at 9:30 am. According to the Facebook […]
