Schools

Separate bathrooms, outdoor classrooms wanted for Stafford’s 6th high school

By Rick Horner
A reporter interviews Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor.

Residents weighed in on the coming sixth county high school for the first time.

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Hungarian artist paints mural at Potomac Science Center

By Rick Horner
George Mason University hired a Hungarian artist to paint a new mural on its Potomac Science Center in Woodbridge and paid all his expenses. [Photo: PLN]

A new mural adorns the side of the Potomac Science Center, next to the Occoquan River in Woodbridge.

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Mural depicts black students who prompted the integration of Stafford Public Schools

By Rick Horner

Local government school leaders unveiled a mural at Edward E. Drew Jr. Middle School in Stafford commemorating an attempt at integrating county schools in 1960.

Officials held an event to honor five students who tried to enroll in Stafford High School, where Drew Middle currently sits but was denied entry. Over 70 students, teachers, and onlookers watched a presentation made by some of those students, now seniors who attempted to integrate.

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School leaders want to talk before scrapping high school site

By Rick Horner

Before letting it go, the Stafford County School Board wants to discuss with the Board of Supervisors a piece of property that would be the site of a new high school.

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New Code Orange will require students to work from home during most inclement weather days

By Uriah Kiser
Prince William County Public Works employee Andy Nevesky clears snow from sidewalks at the Chinn Park Library. [Photo: Uriah Kiser / Potomac Local News]

Superintendent Dr. Latanya McDade announced a new snow day policy, introducing a Code Orange classification to the color-coded system the division uses to indicate the severity of weather-related closures. When McDade issues a Code Orange alert, school buildings will be closed for the day due to hazardous outdoor conditions that would hamper children’s safe travel to and from school.

Instead of going to school, the division will require students to log on to a laptop from home to complete independent coursework, called asynchronous learning. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, all students attended classes online after Gov. Ralph Northam shuttered public school buildings.

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Parents demanding an end to mask mandate represent the minority, says School Board member’s husband

By Uriah Kiser
Prince William County Public Schools students [Photo: Prince William County Public Schools Facebook page]

During a regular county School Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 1, parents urged elected leaders and school division chief Dr. Latanya McDade to rescind a mask mandate that’s been in n place since August, the beginning of the current school year.

Making masks optional for students was the standard message parents aimed to get across. “Let those who want to wear them, and there should always be a choice,” said Kimberly Stewart.

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Pedestrian safety project at Yorkshire Elementary School gets funding boost

By Potomac Local News

A plan to enhance pedestrian safety outside Yorkshire Elementary School just got a funding boost.

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Incoming Stafford schools superintendent ready to tackle growth, ‘looks forward to the opportunity to when we can unmask’

By Uriah Kiser
A reporter interviews Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor.

It’s a new day for Stafford County Public Schools.

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Stafford plans to sell surplus school site, use cash for future classroom construction

By Rick Horner

A 181-acre parcel of land deemed unfit to build a school could soon belong to the Stafford County Board of Supervisors.

County leaders plan to sell the land located at 135 Clift Farm Road in the Falmouth District. The parcel is listed at $1.3 million. However, according to county documents, that price does not reflect the current market value, making a reevaluation necessary.

According to the county's property records, the land cost was $4.8 million when the school board purchased the tract in 2006.

In their documentation, the county estimates that selling the property would provide funds to reduce future borrowing.

The county School Board purchased the Clift Farm property in December 2006 to build a high school. Over the years, the county's population has blossomed to more than 150,000 people, increasing the need for new school buildings.

According to county documents, due to a lack of infrastructure, including roads, water, and sewer, the property is inappropriate for the needs of a new school. The parcel is also located in the flight path for the Stafford County Regional Airport.

On November 16, the county Board of Supervisors asked the School Board to convey the parcel to the to the county government, after the School Board has decided to deem the land as surplus. According to county documents, the plan uses the money from the parcel's sale to provide revenue for future school construction.

The School Board has yet to convey the land to the supervisors. 

The Stafford County School Board has long acknowledged the need for new schools to deal with the growing student population. The school board is currently moving forward with plans to build the county's sixth high school with a $150 million price tag, according to School Board documents from earlier this year.

The school will be located in the county's Hartwood District and will open by Spring 2025.

Information from the county also acknowledges the need for more schools at every level. This includes a new middle school, two new elementary schools, a seventh high school, and an early childhood education center, estimated to cost $200 million.

The county's seventh high school is projected to be part of the major projects listed in the school board's Fiscal Year 2023-2032 Capital Improvement Projects request. The school does not have an estimated price tag.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the Stafford School Board conveyed the property to the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, and that the property is listed on the Real Estate market. 

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CRT questions dismissed during town hall at Prince William County schools headquarters

By Uriah Kiser
Multiple attendees of a town hall meeting at the Prince William County Public Schools headquarters with questions about Critical Race Theory were turned away on Monday, November 15, 2021. [Photo: Uriah Kiser]

Residents hoping to ask questions about Critical Race Theory and its possible application in the classroom left disappointed Monday night.

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