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…
Louisa County High students learning life lessons through beekeeping program
A beekeeping program at Louisa County High School is getting students out of the classroom, suiting them up, and taking them into the beehive. Roughly 400,000 honey bees call the apiary at the school home. Despite their small size, they can have profound effects on the…
‘A long time coming’: Douglas School renovation, expansion begins
It was noted more than once during a groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation and expansion of the historic Douglas School on North Kent Street that the project is long overdue. “As others mentioned, this day has been a long time coming,” Carl Rush, equity coordinator…
Chesterfield schools will welcome all students back Monday, a move some teachers oppose
Emma Clark, an eighth-grade teacher at Falling Creek Middle School, has no intention of stepping into her classroom Monday. She may lose her job over it. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Clark does not feel safe going back into the classroom. Chesterfield County Public…
Lynchburg-area school divisions see increase in on-time graduation rates
School divisions in the Lynchburg area saw slight increases in their on-time graduation rates for 2020 when compared to previous years. The Virginia Department of Education recently released its annual state-level, division-level and school-level cohort reports, detailing…
Charlottesville, Albemarle divisions prepping for return to in-person learning
Local school systems have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve the ventilation of buildings, install Plexiglass barriers and purchase gallons of hand sanitizer as part of efforts to get ready to bring students back to in-person classes. Charlottesville and Albemarle school…
‘Anti-racist coalition:’ the movement to integrate public schools across the country
Decades after the Civil Rights movement, America’s schools, including public schools in Richmond, continue to be segregated. Yet, there is a grassroots movement in the works to change that once students eventually fully return to the classroom, especially after a summer…
Shenandoah County Schools earn environmental honor
Shenandoah County Public Schools received a gold certification in the 2020 Virginia School Boards Association’s Go Green Schools Challenge. The Go Green Schools Challenge is a competition designed to encourage implementation of specific environmental policies and…
VA’s second-largest school district welcomes more students back for in-person learning
The second-largest school district in Virginia will welcome back more of its students for in-person learning this week. Roughly 3,400 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students will begin hybrid- model learning in Prince William County Public Schools [PWCS] Tuesday, according…
Franklin County Public Schools appoint new superintendent
Franklin County Public Schools appointed their next superintendent at Monday night’s school board meeting. Dr. Bernice Cobbs will be the school district’s newest superintendent and will formally assume the role on December 1. The school board conducted a nationwide search…
Tracking incomplete grades moves students forward – with extra focus from educators
Months into the school year, public school students in Norfolk, Virginia, are still waiting and wondering when they might set foot in the classroom again. New data shows the school system’s shutdown in March, when the coronavirus pandemic began, affected Black students…
Covington schools temporarily switch to virtual learning
Students in Covington City Public Schools will be learning virtually temporarily, after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. A release from the schools said administration was informed late Friday of the case. Out of caution, it was decided virtual learning would be…
Middle school gym gets air conditioning
For the first time in the history of Appomattox Middle School (AMS), its gymnasium is equipped with an HVAC air conditioning unit, much to the appreciation of students and staff. According to Heath and Physical Education (PE) teacher Doug Marshall, the gymnasium was added to the…
Virginia Beach Schools to reevaluate return to school plan, citing rising COVID-19 numbers
Virginia Beach City Public Schools leaders are taking another look at a plan for students to return to in-person learning this week. VBCPS administrators will present new health data and options to the school board on Tuesday night, to see if the district will “potentially [postpone]…
Kindergarten Drives Enrollment Drop, but FCPS Braces for Spike in Returns
Driven by the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, 8,959 students left Fairfax County Public Schools this school year with elementary school students, particularly kindergarteners, representing the most withdrawals. About 87% of the students who left are…
Wednesday November 18, 2020 Early Bird Session at the VSBA Annual Convention
Student Achievement and Success During Times of Uncertainty: The Early Bird session participants will gain various insights pertaining to the importance of a high quality systems approach relating to the core business of teaching and learning as well as establishing a…
Attending the VSBA Annual Convention: Make Plans to Attend the Connectivity Session
Learn how to log in to the virtual convention and update your attendee profile, view session information and create your personalized schedule, find exhibitors and convention sponsors and use the message and chat features to engage with other attendees. Information to log in to…