Stafford, Va. –– Officials named four new administrators to fill positions at schools in Stafford County.
Lisa Besceglia, a former special education teacher and assistant principal at Dixon-Smith Middle School since 2005 has been named the principal. She replaces Principal Steve Trant who opened the school in 2006 and has spent 36 years working within the school system, said Stafford County Public Schools spokeswoman Valerie Cottongim.
By Kristina Schnack Kotlus
Schools and Education Reporter
Prince William County, Va. –– Some Prince William County Schools will be starting and ending their day at a different time next year. Prince William County uses a three-tier approach when busing children to school which allows drivers to serve multiple routes.
Prince William County, Va. –– In an ongoing effort to keep parents involved and informed in their child’s education, Prince William County Schools will be switching to Parent Portal, an online interface for parents.
Previously, PWCS has used EduLink, which was essentially a product that interfaced between SchoolFusion, which hosts individual county school’s websites.
Woodbridge, Va. –– Following concussion-related deaths and students who committed suicide last year, a new policy affecting student athletes in Prince William County will begin in September.
Prince William County Public Schools announced Monday beginning with the 2011-12 school year, all athletes and their parents or guardians will be required to attend a concussion education session before being allowed to participate in sports try-outs.
Prince William County, Va. –– In a memo released June 1, Prince William County Public School officials said the implementation of the Standard Technical Diploma for graduating high school seniors would be delayed by one year due to recent legislation. PWCS named Virginia General Assembly House Bill 1554 and Senate Bill 810 as the cause of the delay.
In a Virginia Department of Education report, however, it is noted that neither House Bill 1554 or Senate Bill 810 prohibits a school division from making the standard or advanced technical diplomas available to students who entered high school prior to 2012-2013 –– the year Prince William County Schools plans to begin offering them ––as long as the requirements have been met.
The victim in the case told police that she engaged in sexual activity with an employee of Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas while she was 17-year-old student at the school in 2004 and 2005.
The employee worked as an attendance officer and basketball coach, and some of the sex acts took place at the school while others took place in Prince William County, said Prince William police spokesman Jonathan Perok.
Contestants wrote a 300–400 word essay based on an annual patriotic theme, which was evaluated by veterans who have a deep personal connection with the idea of patriotism. This year students wrote an essay on the theme, “Does Patriotism Still Matter?”
Top national winners each receive a savings bond anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. The first place winner receives a $10,000 savings bond and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. Scholarships are also awarded to students at the local level.
Fairfax County, Va. –– Fairfax County Public Schools has adopted a budget for fiscal year 2012 which includes expanding full day kindergarten to all of Fairfax County.
The $2.2 billion budget also includes a one percent market scale adjustment for all employees and step increased for those eligible, according to a Fairfax County Public Schools release.
The school division announced today filters that blocked such online content have been removed, and that the removal does not compromise mandatory state and federal obligations to block objectionable information, the school system says.
The students can now have access to the information, as long the content is “information based.”
