January 5, 2021
NewsDaily NewsJanuary 5, 2021

January 25-26, 2021, VSBA Capital Conference, Virtual
Advocacy by local school board members is a year-round job but is never more critical than when the Virginia General Assembly is in session. With the Virginia State Capitol and Pocahontas Building closed to visitors for the unforeseeable future, it is imperative for school…

January 26, 2021, VSBA Orientation for New School Board Members and Superintendents, Virtual
Becoming a new school board member or superintendent is an honor and a privilege. Enjoy a successful and less stressful transition by attending the VSBA Orientation for New Board Members & Superintendents. Many important topics will be covered, including the roles and…

Gainesville School Board member on renaming yet-to-open high school
As the Prince William County School Board is set to consider renaming Gainesville High School — a school that has yet to open. A petition circulated by Richard Jessie, the husband of Prince William County Occoquan District School Board representative Lillie Jessie, asserts…

Botetourt County makes move to return to sports; Roanoke County plans to keep current system
New Year’s Day was Friday and there have been no Roanoke County sports since Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz came down with COVID 19 on March 11. That’s a span of nine and a half months as we hit day 295 AG(After Gobert) today. It’s been a tough ride for the high school…

School Board To Discuss TAHS Name Change
A lot of issues and topics that were important to school divisions at the beginning of 2020 had to take a back seat as the global pandemic forced schools to close and refocus energy into making school work for students. However, Oskar Scheikl, superintendent of Rockingham County…

School board sets CIP priorities
After a three-month extension to get feedback from the facilities study, the Suffolk School Board came to a consensus on its priorities for projects in its Capital Improvements Plan. It agreed at its December meeting that it would focus on a bevy of capital improvements to HVAC…

School districts across southwest, central Virginia offer various learning models to keep schools safe amid pandemic
Amid concerns about a post-holiday coronavirus surge, students across southwest and central Virginia are heading back to school in ways that school officials and families believe will keep them safe. The following school districts have announced specific plans within the last two…

Local schools return with virtual learning following winter break, evaluate possible switch to in-person
Local schools across Hampton Roads are reminding students and families that there will be a temporary shift to remote learning beginning Monday due to the holidays and the potential for a spike in coronavirus cases. Chesapeake: Monday, Jan. 4 students return to learning…

Henrico School’s Health Committee to discuss when students could return to in-person learning
The Henrico County Schools Health Committee will meet tonight to review COVID-19 data in the region. The committee is tasked with deciding if and when it is safe for students to return to the classroom for in-person learning. Right now, all Henrico students are learning virtually for…

Back to Learning: Students to learn online, in-person following winter break
A vast majority of students in Central Virginia will continue to learn virtually for a period of time following the winter break. Three of the four largest school systems in the region will primarily keep students online as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to increase. As of Sunday…

Hburg schools plan for outdoor classrooms this spring and ‘major summer program’
Midway through the pandemic-marred 2020-21 school year, the Harrisonburg City Public Schools’ leaders are again looking to adjust by establishing outdoor classrooms on school campuses and seeking to bring roughly 975 more students back into schools and away from…

‘Grab-and-Go’ meals to continue at New Kent schools
‘Grab and Go’ meals for all New Kent County Public School students will still be available until the end of June 2021. Meals will be available for pick-up at George Watkins Elementary School on Tuesdays, from 3-5 p.m. and Wednesdays, 8-10 a.m. New Kent Middle School will serve…

Due to COVID surge, Orange County Public Schools shifts to all-virtual classes
Orange County Public Schools will shift to an all-virtual model starting Wednesday, Jan. 6 through at least Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. The school division announced the in-person school closure Monday, citing “the surge of COVID-19 cases in our community and due to the…

Washington County teacher returns from stint working in Saudi Arabian schools
With three suitcases in hand, a backpack and $800 in his pocket, Luke Parks disembarked a plane in the summer of 2018 and took his first steps on the foreign soil of Western Asia — several thousand miles from the only home he’d known in the mountains of Southwest…

Virginia Beach City Public Schools to hold varsity winter sports season with new, stricter rules
Virginia Beach City Public Schools has decided to continue with the varsity winter sports season amid the coronavirus pandemic. After “extensive research , discussion, and consideration,” administrators say they’ve decided to move ahead with the upcoming winter sports season…

Staunton, Augusta, Waynesboro public school students start the year virtually before hybrid schedules
Some local school divisions brought students back virtually on Monday after winter break. Now in the new year, parents and families are preparing their students for the second half of the first full school year of a pandemic. Augusta County Public Schools plans for a virtual week of…

Danville Public Schools prepare to return to classes after holiday break
Danville Public Schools are preparing to finish up the rest of the first semester in-person following the holiday break. The following students will be returning to the classroom on Tuesday: Pre-school to 3rd-grade students, Special education students, Adult education…