Gianna Jirak is a general assignment reporter at Potomac Local News with aspirations of being an international and political reporter for a major national publication. She is a junior at C.D. Hylton Senior High School, the Editor-in-Chief of her school newspaper, and an intern at Prince William Living Magazine.
Prince William County high school students will be getting an extra hour of sleep this upcoming school year, as the division’s Superintendant, Dr. Steven L. Walts, has moved the schedule forward by one hour.
All high school students within the county regardless of their participation in online or in-person learning will now start school at 8:30 am, instead of the typical 7:30 a.m., and end at 3:30 p.m. instead of 2:10 pm. The decision took into consideration various parent and student surveys, the majority of which preferred a later school start time, as well as the health/academic benefits students, could reap, according to an email from the school division.
After 15 years of service and a recent Twitter scandal, Prince William County Schools Superintendant Dr. Steven L. Walts announced that he is planning to retire on July 1, 2021, when his contract with the school division expires and his daughter graduates from high school.
This announcement was made to both the school board, as well as to parents and students via email. In his resignation announcement, he detailed his accomplishments.
A multitude of Virginians mail in their ballots each election cycle, this year, however, thousands have received unsolicited and incorrectly labeled absentee ballot applications.
Earlier this week, the Prince William County Office of Elections released a statement stating that the office has been receiving ‘numerous phone calls and complaints’ regarding absentee ballot applications sent from The Center for Voter Information, a third-party organization unaffiliated with the state, or Prince William County Office of Elections.
Prince William County Public Schools students will be learning from home during the first nine-weeks of the school year online, with exceptions for certain students with additional needs.
This, however, will be very different from the virtual spring semester that occurred during the beginning of the pandemic, as students will have structured schedules, regular start/end times, and learn new content, school officials said.
