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Two parents and one student used citizen comment at the Prince William County School Board on Sept. 2. A Manassas parent-coach used his three minutes on Sept. 8.

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Manassas

School Board member Sara Jane Brescia on Thursday posted a one-page settlement to her school board member Facebook account showing the City of Manassas School Board agreed to withdraw and not start an investigation of her, restate limits on student transfers, and end the court fight she opened six weeks earlier.

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Manassas

Manassas City school staff told the School Board on Tuesday that software meant to catch AI-written student work failed a procurement test, and members then parked a draft School Board Handbook for more work sessions instead of moving it toward adoption.

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Manassas

A public fight that began with accusations of a secret vote, an investigation of a sitting school board member, and a claim that colleagues discussed pulling her children from Baldwin Elementary ended Tuesday night in a closed-door settlement.

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Manassas

School Board member Sara Brescia told her colleagues Tuesday that three of them used a private Aug. 3 meeting to talk about moving her elementary-age children out of Baldwin Elementary School. Then the board approved the minutes of that meeting, which never mention the children.

Brescia asked that one sentence be added to the official record. The board did not add it. After a messy voice vote — yeses, nos and an abstention, with no full list of who voted which way — Chair Jill Spall said the original minutes passed.


Manassas

A Prince William County General District Court hearing on Manassas City School Board Member Sara Brescia’s Freedom of Information Act petition has been continued from Tuesday, Aug. 18, to Sept. 24.

Brescia filed the petition for a writ of mandamus on Aug. 11 (Case GV26019633-00), alleging that a majority of the board, facilitated by Chair Jill Spall, held an unlawful electronic or telephonic meeting and vote in violation of Virginia’s FOIA. The vote directed Superintendent Dr. Kevin Newman to open a full investigation, using outside counsel, into allegations first raised by Board Member Diana Brown.


Manassas

The Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation closed its FY 25-26 year with a bank balance of $167,899.05 and reported increased scholarship awards and the return of educator grants during a presentation to the Manassas City School Board.

Executive Director Carol Hartt delivered the update, introduced by Director of Public Communications and Community Relations Almeta Radford. Foundation board president Jimmy Conroy was unable to attend.


Manassas

The Manassas City School Board on Monday reviewed a revised FY 2028 budget development calendar that eliminates an early work session and advances key deadlines to allow more meaningful discussion and better preparation for a joint presentation with the city.

Director of Finance Taft Kelly presented the draft calendar during the board’s regular meeting. He explained two primary process changes from prior years.


Manassas

More than 200 community members, including School Board members, City Council, division and city leaders, current and former students and staff, and partners, gathered Tuesday for the official ribbon-cutting and unveiling of the new Jennie Dean Elementary School in Manassas.

The roughly $56 million facility at 9601 Prince William Street, designed for about 900 students in prekindergarten through fourth grade, will welcome its first classes Aug. 12 after years of planning and construction that stayed on time and on budget.


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