There are still no removal plans for the slave auction block located on the corner of William and Charles in Downtown Fredericksburg.

This auction block was the cause of widespread debate in the community, but in July of 2019, the City Council decided that the block would be relocated to the Fredericksburg Area Museum. The costs associated with moving the stone were anticipated to be $30,000.

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Stafford Schools has taken a giant leap by announcing a graduation ceremony for high school seniors, joining Manassas City Public Schools in being one of the first area school divisions to set a date amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The tentative graduation date is August 1 at 8 a.m., but according to Superintendent Scott Kizner, nothing is set-in-stone. 

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Manassas City Public Schools is the first school district in our region to announce a rescheduled, in-person graduation date since the coronavirus outbreak abruptly ended the academic school year last month. 

Osbourn High School’s graduation ceremony will take place on July 18 in the school stadium at 9 a.m. Originally, it was scheduled for May 27 at the Eagle Bank Arena on George Mason University Campus in Fairfax. 

“We will reassess and reach out in late May as things become more clear as to what we can expect from the summer,” Osbourn High Principal Michael Pflugrath told Potomac Local News. 

Osbourn HS graduation ceremony is now scheduled for July 18th at 9 am at Osbourn HS stadium. Providing the distinguished ceremony our Seniors deserve. Student safety is our top priority. #OneOsbourn @mymcpsva @OHS_AfterProm @ohsclass2020 @OHSCounseling_

— Mike Pflugrath (@OsbournPrin) April 10, 2020

Potomac Local News asked if families were going to be allowed to see the ceremony if temperatures would have to be taken, and if there was a contingency plan to reschedule the ceremony should the virus outbreak persist. School officials said they don’t yet have specific answers to those questions.

“At this point, it’s still early,” said Manassas schools spokeswoman Al Radford.

As for grading, and how the school division will finish out the rest of the canceled academic year, no more grades from fourth-quarter distance learning will be calculated, according to schools superintendent Dr. Kevin Newman. 

Students’ final grades will be an average of the first three quarters, he said.

Students in seventh to twelfth grades may opt to take a pass/fail credit for a class which means it will not be calculated in the final GPA. 

From now until May 1, students will have the option to reattempt assignments to raise third-quarter grades. 

May 29 will still act as the last day of the school year, and final grades will be available around that time period, Newman announced.

For kindergarten through second-grade students, their final mark will be based on their performance through March 13. 

Feedback from teachers and principals was used to outline these grading requirements.

“Our goal was to find a solution that would provide an opportunity for our students to demonstrate mastery and for the improvement of grades,” Superintendent Kevin Newman said in a statement to parents.

Summer heat is just around the corner, and with that normally comes summer swim season and cooling off by your favorite community pool. 

This year, however, the coronavirus pandemic is changing everything.

All park facilities are closed until further notice in Prince William County, however, trials at the county’s parks are open. 

“Because we do not have a date certain that operations will resume, we cannot say definitively when summer programming will be available again or pools will reopen,’ Prince William County Parks and Recreation Department spokesman Brent Heavener said.

In Stafford County, hiking trails inside county parks are open but facilities are closed until May 1, pending re-evaluation.

It’s likely public swimming pools won’t be opened to the public by Memorial Day weekend, as they have in years past. For personal pool owners, it’s a different story.

Residential pools are generally opened up in late April or May, but this year pool owners are opting to open them up sooner than usual. 

“This year we’re seeing a trend where more people are opening early this year just for the simple fact that they’re bored,” said David Muirhead, owner of the pool maintenance company Northern Virginia Pool Scouts.

When opening your pool, make sure to replace filter plugs, remove any return plugs, and get rid of as much debris as possible.

In order for the pools to be safe for human use during the coronavirus outbreak, three to five ppm is the recommended chlorine level. Pools should be tested once a week to maintain proper chemical levels.

The CDC has stated that there’s no evidence that coronavirus can be spread through pools and that proper pool maintenance should get rid of the virus that causes coronavirus.

Though many industries have been hit hard during this pandemic, the pool industry hasn’t been one of them.

“I think it’s helped the pool industry somewhat,” Muirhead said. “Homeowners are doing whatever they can while they have the time off.”

Northern Virginia Pool Scouts has remained open and taken precautions such as driving separately, sanitizing doorknobs, and maintaining distance from homeowners in order to protect employees and customers during the coronavirus crisis. 

Across the world, healthcare professionals are at the front lines battling the coronavirus pandemic. In the local Rappahannock health district, things are no different.

At a virtual community town hall on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, Mary Washington Healthcare leaders provided updates with how they are addressing the pandemic.

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Prince William County Public Schools has ordered 15,500 HP touchscreen laptops that will be distributed to students by May. 

The $6.4 million purchase is part of a $10 million plan supported by the county School Board to put digital devices in the hands of all of the county’s 27,000 high school students.

The School Board seeks an additional $5 million from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in order to purchase additional computers for students, accelerating the school divisions’ pre-existing multi-year plan to ensure the school system is able to supply one computer for each of its students.

For students with disabilities and English learners (E-L), teachers will offer virtual support and accommodations. E-L teachers will still focus on teaching reading, writing, and speaking with virtual resources.

“Our local, state, and federal leaders recognize that services on [individulized education plans] will not be met in the same way as they would if schools were open,” said Prince William County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven Walts.

Teachers and counselors are now required to have virtual office hours when they will be available to assist students.

On March 13, schools gave out available computers and books to students who needed them.

The news of the laptop purchase comes as Walts laid out his plan for how the school system will address the coronavirus pandemic at an emergency virtual school board meeting on April 1. 

The main takeaways are that the school system will continue with a virtual continuity of learning plan in which no grading will occur, but feedback is encouraged.

There will be no fourth-quarter marking period, and final grades from quarters one, two, and three will be averaged to determine the final end-of-year grade. 

Third-quarter will be extended to April 24, and students will have the chance to redo assignments or submit optional work to bring up their grades and help fulfill graduation requirements. Grades can only go up from where they were on March 13, the last day of school.

The superintendent has promised students that “If they were on track to graduate, they will graduate.”

Senior graduation status will be finalized on May 29, and all other students will continue to have learning resources through June 12. 

The county school division has created a home learning webpage that has academic resources for parents to utilize. 

Teachers will be trained and given virtual professional development to help assist them in creating online materials for their students. 

When Spring Break ends on April 10, principals have been directed to devise schedules that give each subject 60-120 minutes (depending on school level) of review and instruction per subject per week. 

Our team members will continue to work to find alternative methods and positive proactive strategies to continue engagement in learning for our special education students.

— Steve Walts (@SuperPWCS) April 2, 2020

Counselors will still be available to support the emotional needs of students. Students can reach out to counseling staff at [email protected]. 

“My highest priority remains the physical and mental health of students and staff,” Watts said.

As for the graduation ceremony, there remains no clear answer. 

“Our high school principals have been working together virtually to discuss potential alternatives, including virtual operations, or potentially an in-person graduation in early August,” Watt said.

Moving forward, summer school plans have not been finalized. Regardless, the Superintendent has indicated that the first weeks of the next school year will be spent reviewing and reinforcing material from this year.

Food services will continue, even though spring break, and on April 6 three additional locations will open at Potomac View and River Oaks elementary, and Saunders Middle School. 

Parents with appropriate ID will be able to pick up these meals, no longer is the student required to be present as this national law has been waived. 

Sitting six feet apart in an empty board chamber, Superintendent Scott Kizner and School Board Chair Holly Hazard broadcasted to a thousand concerned parents, students, staff, and community members viewing from a distance, behind the safety of their screens, about the impacts of the coronavirus on the Stafford County Public School System.

The large takeaway — nothing is certain.

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A new restaurant is opening up in Downtown Fredericksburg called Fork N Biscuit.

It’s taking over 715 Caroline Street and is a sharp contrast to Legume, the vegan/vegetarian restaurant that used to be located there.

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The Stafford County School Board is considering revisions to their student transfer policy that will increase the cut-off for elementary schools from 80 percent to 90 percent capacity.

Already, middle schools and high schools are designated closed and won't accept new transfer students when they reach 90% capacity. Some exceptions are made under extenuating circumstances.

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Cell phones keep us connected at home, in the workplace, and on the go.

But what should their role be in the classroom? That’s the discussion leaders on the Stafford County School Board are having.

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