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Jamestown-Scotland Ferry service back on track
Passengers worried their summer travel plans would be disrupted by a schedule change to the ferry service over the James River will now have smooth sailing after all. Last month, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced a reduced schedule to begin on July 8 because the service for the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry lacked a certified chief […]
Youngkin signs executive order to establish ‘cell phone-free education’ in Va. public schools
Virginia will soon establish guidance to restrict or eliminate student cell phone use during instructional time at school. On Tuesday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33, which directs his administration to “heed the call” of parents, public health professionals, educators and others by establishing cell phone-free policies and procedures for school divisions, in light […]
Migrant children in Virginia: Where are they and are they getting an education?
Data visualizations by JW Caterine. Bryan Viera, who arrived in America unaccompanied, and Millie Okoro, who arrived with family, migrated from different countries to the U.S. as teenagers, both to make a better life for themselves and to make their mothers proud. They enrolled in and graduated from public high schools in Virginia, leaning […]
Va.’s task force recommends dedicated funding for campus threat assessment team training
A task force directed by the Virginia legislature has recommended creating a dedicated funding stream for threat assessment team training on college and university campuses and allowing teams to share confidential information about a person who’s the subject of an investigation with other public institutions. An assessment team may investigate a person, whether a student […]
Va. education board approves Old Dominion as fiscal agent for five lab schools
On Friday, the Virginia Board of Education approved lab school applications for five colleges, with Old Dominion University acting as fiscal agent for all of them. Old Dominion’s Lab School Network will comprise nine schools, representing a portion of the 15 school applications the board approved, the first of which, Virginia Commonwealth University’s lab school, […]
Virginia’s new school accountability system is taking shape
The Virginia Board of Education took another step on Friday to clarify how schools will be rated and student performance measured to better determine how to direct state resources. The board, on the superintendent’s recommendation, approved four performance descriptors: “Distinguished,” “On Track,” “Off Track” and “Needs Intensive Support.” Schools considered “distinguished” are those that exceed […]
Are Virginia toll roads costly and confusing? A state study shows many drivers think so.
Researchers found that some complex toll roads in Northern Virginia are “less understandable” for people who drive high occupancy vehicles and that inconsistent toll signage in Virginia may also cause driver confusion. The findings come after a months-long study into easing vehicle traffic congestion, specifically on popular Interstates 81 and 95, and possible ways to […]
More districts leave Virginia School Board Association
A handful of Virginia school boards are exiting the Virginia School Board Association, the longest-running organization dedicated to supporting school boards in the commonwealth, over claims that it has failed to meet their needs and doesn’t align with their conservative values. Gina Patterson, executive director of VSBA, established in 1906, said she would not comment […]
Virginia NAACP sues Shenandoah school board after district restored Confederate names
The Virginia NAACP on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Shenandoah County School Board for what it called “reaffirming discrimination,” after the school system voted to rebrand schools with Confederate names in May. The lawsuit alleges that the school board violated the U.S. Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the […]
Ferrum College president remains hopeful Virginia will consider lab school application
Ferrum College’s hopes for creating a specialized laboratory school have ended after months of discussions with state leaders, but the college’s president is still holding out for a different outcome. According to documents from the Virginia Department of Education, the private institution in Southwest Virginia joins more than a dozen institutions that are not being […]
VCU officials reviewing $56M payment to Richmond for failed development project, JLARC suggestions
Officials from Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health System told lawmakers on Wednesday they are reviewing an agreement to pay the city of Richmond approximately $2.5 million annually in lieu of taxes for a development that was never built, after the school paid the city, investors and developers nearly $80 million to exit the failed […]
What’s in Virginia’s transportation spending plan?
Virginia’s latest spending plan includes efforts to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to a prominent transportation agency in Northern Virginia, toll relief in Hampton Roads and highway widening along a stretch of Interstate 81 in Southwest Virginia. The state budget adopted in May includes a stark change from one of Gov. Glenn […]