June 1, 2021
NewsDaily NewsJune 1, 2021

June 4, 2021, VSBA School Law Conference
Your school division needs you, your superintendent, and your attorney to participate in the 2021 VSBA Virtual School Law Conference! Why? The answer is simple, many of the decisions you make have legal implications that will impact your school division for years to come…

South Hampton Roads schools prepare for normal next fall while facing bus driver shortages
Local school districts have long struggled with bus driver shortages, but a spike in open positions has made planning for the next school year increasingly difficult. Thousands of additional students should be returning for in-person classes this fall. In Virginia Beach…

Deadline approaching to enroll Richmond Public School students in virtual academy
Do you want your child to learn virtually next year? If so, Richmond Public Schools needs you to let them know soon. The school district is asking parents to fill out this selection form by Tuesday, June 1, which enrolls students into Richmond Virtual Academy According to RPS…

Prince William schools announce principal, teacher of the year
Amy Schott has been named Principal of the Year, and Jamie Dziuba has been chosen as Teacher of the Year by Prince William County Public Schools. For the past 13 years, Schott has been principal at Rockledge Elementary School. She recently was appointed principal at…

McEachin announces $17M for Virginia schools, public health response
Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) announced over $17 million in grants money to bolster Virginia’s public health response and strengthen the Commonwealth’s educational system. Two of the grants were awarded to Virginia Commonwealth University for training in…

County Happy With School Resource Officer Status Quo; City Reevaluating Program
From time to time, School Resource Officer Lamarr Wharwood stops in Elkton Elementary School to have breakfast with students. For the first-year SRO, he said it’s a way to start developing a bond with the students at an early age. “It’s a small action that makes their day…

Sixty percent of students in Washington region have not had any learning in a school building since March 2020.
In the diverse and expansive Washington region, around 40 percent of the roughly 700,000 public school students are learning at least once a week in a school building. The other 420,000 students have been entirely remote since the coronavirus pandemic closed schools in March…

Group says Roanoke School Board should be elected, not appointed, and they want your help
A growing number of people are calling for a change in the way Roanoke City School Board members are seated. On Thursday, about a dozen people rallied on the steps of the municipal building downtown. Their question is simple: Elected or appointed? Roanoke is in the small…

Special committee of three Henry County School Board members look at discrimination report, policy
Henry County Public Schools’ Special Committee for Equal Opportunity and Discrimination, formed after a query to the school board, met Thursday morning in closed session to discuss a personnel matter. The session lasted less than an hour, and only about a minute or two…

Cub Run Elementary hosts Cubs Camp Nature: S’more Fun Outside
Cub Run Elementary in Rockingham County has hosted Cub Camp Nature “Its Smore Fun Outside” all week long, allowing students to participate in numerous outdoor activities and programs. “The goal is just for them to experience that joy of being outside and being in…

Henrico schools expand access for June’s in-person graduations
Henrico County Public Schools announced their 2021 graduates will walk across the stage and accept their diplomas this June, along with other expansions to comply with Governor Northam’s executive order. According to a release sent from HCPS, Governor Ralph…

Teacher opposing new transgender rules fights suspension
A northern Virginia gym teacher is fighting his suspension after he spoke out at a school board meeting against proposed policies to address transgender students by their preferred pronouns. Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group, wrote a letter Friday to…

Newport News teacher keeps students engaged one quirky step at a time
Although the pandemic presented many challenges for teachers everywhere, it was no match for the fun, quirky and dance-filled lessons one Newport News teacher had for her students. In her nine years as a teacher, Emily Voss makes learning fun with “brain breaks” for her…

Application Process is Open- 2021 VSBA Advocate for Education Award!
The importance of advocacy and grassroots engagement is a central component of the Virginia School Boards Association. It is imperative for board members to engage the stakeholders of their community including parents, business, community and higher education leaders, local…