Fredericksburg City Public Schools

Features

Strings of Support: Community Rallies Behind New Guitar Club at Walker Grant Middle School

By Mike Salmon
Peter Mealy and his wife Laurie Rose Griffith play at Tapa Rio in Fredericksburg for Valentines Eve.

In mid-February, Peter Mealy headed to the Walker Grant Middle School PTA meeting in Fredericksburg to speak about his latest venture teaching guitar to students after school at Walker Grant and hopefully enlarging the program in one form or another.

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Breaking News

Public School Closures for February 20, 2025

By Uriah Kiser

A winter storm bringing snow and strong winds will force schools in Stafford County, Fredericksburg City, and Spotsylvania County to close on Thursday, February 20, 2025.

Stafford County Public Schools will be closed, with all 12-month staff operating on a two-hour delay. As a result of this closure, Friday, March 21, 2025, will now be a regular, full instructional day for students to make up for the lost classroom time.

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News

Winter Storm Closes Schools in King George, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg, and Stafford Counties on Wednesday

By Uriah Kiser

King George County Schools, Spotsylvania County Public Schools, and Fredericksburg City Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, February 19, 2025, due to the anticipated winter storm.

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Press Release

Fredericksburg City Public Schools Begins Search for New Hugh Mercer Elementary Principal as Leadership Shifts

By Uriah Kiser

Fredericksburg City Public Schools (FCPS) has initiated the search for a new principal for Hugh Mercer Elementary School, following the transition of current Principal James Snyder to a division-level role focusing on facilities and operations. Effective February 14, 2025, Courtney Wheeler will assume the position of Interim Principal at Hugh Mercer Elementary.

Wheeler’s extensive experience within FCPS includes serving as principal of Lafayette Elementary School until December 2024 and being appointed as principal of Gladys West Elementary School in August 2024. She began preparations in January 2025 to open Gladys West Elementary, the division’s third elementary school, scheduled to welcome students this fall.

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Business

Fredericksburg City Public Schools to Launch Career and Technical Education Program with $1 Million Donation

By Uriah Kiser

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Originals

Fredericksburg Students Recognized for Youth Mental Health Advocacy at Virginia General Assembly

By Uriah Kiser

Fredericksburg City Public Schools (FCPS) students and staff were honored at the Virginia General Assembly for their work on the FCPS Youth Mental Health Taskforce. The delegation, invited by State Senator Tara Durant, spent the day in Richmond serving as legislators and meeting with state officials.

The students arrived at the Virginia General Assembly Building at 9:45 a.m. January 29, 2025, where they met with Senator Durant before touring the historic Capitol. They then participated in a Q&A session with legislators, discussing the importance of youth mental health initiatives.

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Fredericksburg

Lights, Camera, Caution: Fredericksburg Speeders Face School Zone Crackdown

By Kelly Sienkowski
School Zone Speed Limits near James Monroe High School

Fredericksburg Police have launched automated speed enforcement cameras in school zones at Hugh Mercer Elementary and James Monroe High School to curb speeding and improve safety. The move is part of a partnership formed in November 2024 between the Fredericksburg Police Department and the city, aiming to reduce speeding near schools and protect students, staff, and families.

To ease drivers into the new system, the city implemented a 30-day warning period following the installation of the cameras. During this period, violators received warnings instead of citations, a step the city said was designed to “educate drivers and encourage compliance with speed limits.”

Between December 12, 2024, and January 10, 2025, Fredericksburg Police issued 247 warnings for speeding violations. The highest recorded speed was 50 mph. At James Monroe High School, located on Washington Avenue, 66 warnings were given, 19 of which were for speeds at least 15 mph over the 15 mph school zone limit. The highest recorded speed at this location was 33 mph.

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News

PowerSchool Cybersecurity Breach Impacts Local Schools

By Uriah Kiser

A recent cybersecurity incident affecting PowerSchool, a global provider of education administration software, has raised concerns for school systems across the country, including Fredericksburg City and Manassas City Public Schools. PowerSchool confirmed that its internal systems were breached in late December, resulting in unauthorized access to data involving students and educators from hundreds of school divisions.

PowerSchool, widely used by schools worldwide, supports over 18,000 institutions, serving more than 60 million students. The platform handles essential administrative functions such as attendance tracking, grade reporting, and student data management. While PowerSchool has restored its systems’ security, the breach underscores the vulnerability of sensitive educational information.

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