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Parents file class-action suit against Virginia Department of Education, Fairfax School Board over disability hearings
A federal class-action suit has been filed against the Virginia Department of Education and Fairfax County School Board claiming they are violating the rights of disabled students under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The plaintiffs in the case — the parents of an anonymous Fairfax County student and their nonprofit, Hear Our Voices, […]
What Virginia wants to do with $100 million in electric vehicle charging money
As efforts to speed up the transition to electric vehicles intensify, Virginia is expected to receive $100 million from the federal government over the next five years to install public electric vehicle charging stations. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act puts $7.5 billion toward building out a network of electric vehicle charging stations nationwide. Of […]
Youngkin administration overhauls Virginia transgender student policies
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration quietly released a document Friday overhauling Virginia’s policy on the treatment of transgender students, citing “parental rights.” The “Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools” published by the Virginia Department of Education will direct local school boards to adopt a […]
Virginia to hold public input sessions on new history standards in October
The Virginia Board of Education plans to finalize new history and social science standards in January after Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration raised concerns with what they said were a number of errors and content issues in a draft. Education officials also proposed at Wednesday’s work session to begin holding public input sessions on the standards […]
Despite law, few Virginia school districts adopt state model transgender policies
Two years after a law passed the General Assembly requiring Virginia school districts to adopt policies for transgender and nonbinary students, few have opted to embrace model policies developed by the state. In 2020, school boards were required by legislation to adopt policies similar to or more comprehensive than models developed by the Virginia Department […]
More than 1.1 million Virginians lack access to fixed-route transit service
More than 1.1 million people in Virginia are in need of fixed-route transit, according to a recent assessment of the commonwealth’s bus and rail services. Additionally, 570,000 jobs lack access to fixed-route transit, a term used for bus, van and rail service that operates according to a regular schedule along a predetermined route. The findings […]
Transit agencies see ridership increases statewide
Transit agencies across Virginia are seeking to increase ridership, even if it means dropping fares. Throughout this month, the Virginia Railway Express, which connects Central and Northern Virginia to the District of Columbia, is suspending rail fares to mitigate the closure of several Metrorail stations in the commonwealth as well as increase ridership. VRE head […]
Youngkin outlines steps to address teacher shortage in executive directive
Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive directive on Thursday that aims to address teacher shortages in Virginia through strategies that include hiring retired educators and targeting recruitment and retention efforts toward communities most in need. His directive comes as the nation and Virginia face shortages of teachers due to such possible causes as highly charged […]
Four takeaways from Virginia’s post-pandemic standardized test results
Education officials in Virginia have made addressing the student achievement gap a top priority in Virginia after standardized test results showed statewide declines. Virginia’s pass rates, which are calculated from the Standards of Learning and Virginia Alternate Assessment Program tests, showed that all students performed better in 2021-22, when districts had returned to in-person learning, […]
D.C. region leaders want to halve transportation emissions by 2030 despite road widening plans
The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board has pledged to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks despite also pursuing projects that could hinder those reductions. Earlier this summer, the board, made up of representatives from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, including those from Northern Virginia, passed a resolution to reduce road emissions […]
Virginia’s education test results remain low compared to pre-pandemic rates
Virginia’s pass rates from the Standards of Learning tests and other assessments released on Thursday continue to remain lower than results before the pandemic. Pass rate data show that all students performed better over the past year, when students returned to in-person learning, compared to the prior year. However, education officials said the results are […]
Virginia Board of Education delays public hearings for history standards review
The Virginia Board of Education is delaying its public hearings on the state’s new history and social science standards by a month to address concerns with timing and a number of errors and content issues Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration said were in the proposal. The board’s schedule called for the mandated public hearings to occur […]