Students across Stafford, Fredericksburg, and Spotsylvania saw mixed results on this year’s Standards of Learning (SOL) reading tests, according to data released this week by the Virginia Department of Education.

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MANASSAS, Va. – Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle‑Sears showed up ready to speak at the Prince William County School Board meeting Tuesday night—but says she was denied the opportunity because she doesn’t live in the county.


MANASSAS, Va. – Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle‑Sears is headed to the Prince William County School Board meeting tonight, following a now-infamous appearance in Arlington that triggered a national firestorm and sparked bipartisan backlash.

Sears will appear alongside her lieutenant governor running mate, John Reid, national Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich, and the group’s Prince William County chapter chair. The group plans a press conference and rally at 6:15 p.m. outside the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center at Independent Hill, before the School Board meeting.


STAFFORD, Va. — Mountain View High School junior Elias Copeland was surprised in class with the news that he earned a $40,000 BigFuture Scholarship from College Board, recognizing students who take steps to plan their futures after high school.

Copeland’s parents, coaches, teachers, and district administrators attended the surprise event. Superintendent Daniel Smith praised Copeland for his initiative, saying the award is proof that planning ahead pays off.


FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Parents packed a hastily called Fredericksburg School Board meeting Wednesday night to share stories of buses running hours late, confusing routes, and families left in the dark.

Several parents reported that the district’s new tracking app indicated children had been “dropped off” even while they were still waiting at bus stops. Others described unsafe stops on busy streets and long waits at schools while drivers tried to juggle double runs.


STAFFORD, Va. — Stafford County’s newest high school now has a name, mascot, and colors. The School Board voted this week to name the county’s sixth high school Hartwood High School, with the Stallion as its mascot and black, silver, and gold as its colors.

Hartwood High is scheduled to open in the fall of 2026. Construction is already underway, designed to add classroom space and modern facilities for academics, athletics, arts, and career training. The school is being built to ease crowding and serve Stafford’s fast-growing population.


FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — The Fredericksburg City School Board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday evening to address widespread transportation problems that have delayed buses and extended school days since the start of classes.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Walker-Grant Center. The agenda lists one item — a “transportation update” — and includes a public comment period.


The Virginia Education Association (VEA) has voted to keep the Prince William Education Association (PWEA) under state trusteeship, extending a takeover that began in July after an audit raised questions about the local union’s finances and governance.

The decision came Sunday, August 24, 2025, after a nearly 16-hour hearing the day before in Manassas. In an email to members, trustee Linda J. Cook, a former Fairfax local president, said the VEA Board of Directors had “carefully considered” testimony and affirmed the trusteeship imposed initially on July 21.


The fate of the Prince William Education Association (PWEA) remains undecided after a nearly 16-hour hearing before the Virginia Education Association (VEA) board on August 23, 2025, near Manassas.

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MANASSAS, Va. — Newly obtained emails cast doubt on claims that security threats forced George Mason University to decline hosting a hearing on the future of the Prince William Education Association.

The VEA had previously suggested that threats and disruptive behavior forced the cancellation of an in-person hearing at George Mason University’s Manassas campus. But emails from GMU officials indicate no such threats were ever reported.


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