Schools

Manassas Young Marine Named Top 2024 Graduate

By Caitlyn Meisner

The school, at Naval Station Newport in Newport, R.I., focuses on developing leaders through education and service. It’s also the highest level of leadership training offered by the Young Marines, who gathered from around the country in Rhode Island for the academy from July 13 to July 20.

Young Marines has been a national youth organization for boys and girls ages 8 through high school graduation since 1959. According to its website, the programs aims to promote the mental, moral and physical development of its members.

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Evolving Grading Policies in Manassas: A Deep Dive with Sara Brescia

By Uriah Kiser

In this episode, I talk with Manassas City School Board member Sara Brescia about the evolving grading policies in the school district. Listeners will learn about the significant post-pandemic changes, including the controversial 50-100 grading scale and removing the 55 minimum grade provision. Sara Brescia provides a deep dive into the rationale behind these changes, the challenges faced, and the pushback from the community.

The conversation also touches on the broader implications of grading policies on student behavior and engagement, the importance of setting deadlines, and the balance between flexibility and accountability in education. Sara shares her vision for the future, emphasizing the need for productive dialogue and the importance of preparing students for the real world.

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Stafford County Seeks Community Input in Search for New Schools Superintendent

By Uriah Kiser
Stafford County Public Schools Alvin York Bandy Complex, the headquarters of the school division.

Stafford County School Board Chairman Maureen Siegmund has announced the search for a new school superintendent following the departure of Dr. Thomas Taylor. Taylor recently became the chief of Montgomery County, Md. public schools. He held the position in Stafford for two and a half years.

The School Board has unanimously approved JG Consulting to lead a nationwide search for a new superintendent and seeks community feedback on the school division’s strengths, challenges the new superintendent may face, and essential qualities and experiences for the role. Feedback can be provided through a survey by August 30 or directly to JG Consulting via email or phone.

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Stafford County Public Schools Revamps Bus System, Bans Cell Phones for 2024-2025 School Year

By Uriah Kiser

Stafford County Public Schools is set to implement significant operational changes for the upcoming school year, which begins on August 13, 2024. The school division has introduced a new system for identifying school buses and a district-wide ban on cell phones in the classroom.

Starting this school year, buses will no longer be identified by fleet numbers but will use route numbers instead. This change is designed to streamline the process of locating and tracking buses, especially when substitute buses are deployed. Sandra Osborn, the spokeswoman for Stafford County Public Schools, explained the decision, stating, “Identifying buses by route number simplifies the sub-bus process as any bus may be identified quickly with the route number. We no longer need to issue updates to which bus number a family needs to look for – they will simply look for the route number on any of our buses.”

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Assignments May Be Weeks Late: City School Board to Vote on Amended Grading Scale

By Uriah Kiser

The Manassas School Board will vote tonight on amending the 2024-2025 school year grading scale.

The meeting will occur at Jennie Dean Elementary at 6 p.m. Board members will choose between three proposed options, each featuring significant changes from the current policy. Board members will choose between three proposed options, each featuring significant changes from the current policy.

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Fredericksburg, Manassas to Host Cell Phone-Free Education Conversations

By Uriah Kiser

The Virginia Department of Education is hosting a series of Commonwealth Conversations to give parents, educators, and community members the opportunity to share their thoughts on the best ways to achieve cell phone-free education in Virginia and address the increasing evidence of the impact cell phone and social media usage has on youth mental health and education performance.

On July 9, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 to establish cell phone-free education to promote the health and safety of Virginia’s K-12 students. Executive Order 33 directs the VDOE to provide guidance to school boards on cell phone-free education policies and procedures. School boards will establish local cell phone-free education policies and procedures before the end of this year.

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Police Report: 5th Mall Shooting Suspect Arrested | Carjacking | Child Skateboarder Charged

By Uriah Kiser
[Scott Rodgerson/Unsplash]

A fifth suspect is charged in a shooting that occurred outside Manassas Mall on Tuesday, July 9, 2024.

As we reported in the link above, one of the suspected shooters was out on bond in connection to a December 2023 incident where he was charged with Reckless with a Gun Causing Permanent Serious Bodily Injury, a class 6 felony. His charges were later escalated to the Prince William County Circuit Court, where he was indicted on multiple counts, including Reckless Handling of a Firearm, Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm Under 18 Years Old, and Malicious Wounding.

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Stafford Begins Search for New Schools Superintendent — Again

By Uriah Kiser

The Stafford County School Board unanimously approved JG Consulting to search for a new Superintendent of Stafford County schools during its meeting on June 25. The firm will begin the search process later this week, pending execution of the $40,000 contract.

The School Board and JG Consulting will schedule community meetings for the community to provide input regarding the qualities required of the next superintendent. Dates will be announced later this summer.

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