Manassas City Public Schools

Manassas

‘It’s a LIE’: Manassas board member rips myth blaming kids’ backgrounds for poor scores

By PLN News
Brescia (right)

All Manassas City Public Schools remain fully accredited, and six of the division’s nine schools improved their overall index scores from the previous year, according to 2026 accountability data presented to the School Board on Oct. 13.

Dr. Jennifer Cassata, executive director of accountability and finance, walked the board through Standards of Learning results and the Virginia School Performance and Support Framework. Five schools earned scores in the Meets Expectations range, up from three the year before. Baldwin Elementary and R. C. Haydon Elementary both moved into that category. Weems Elementary again posted the division’s highest score. Jennie Dean Elementary exited a prior federal Targeted Support and Improvement designation.

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Manassas

Two Osbourn seniors named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

By PLN News
Two Osbourn High School seniors holding National Merit Semifinalist certificates
Osbourn High School seniors Theodore Charlton and Theodore Wehner after being named 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists. Photo: Manassas City Public Schools

Theodore Charlton and Theodore Wehner, seniors at Osbourn High School in Manassas, have been named Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program.

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Features

Parents press school boards on a cut bus stop, Kindles and volunteer coaches

By PLN News
Yellow school bus facing the camera with SCHOOL BUS on the header and no district name visible
A school bus. Photo: Potomac Local file

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

Brescia posts signed Manassas school board settlement on Facebook; board drops investigation, she dismisses FOIA case

By PLN News
Sara Brescia, Manassas City School Board member. Courtesy campaign photo

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 schools drop AI-detection software after failed test; handbook sent back; Osbourn starts girls flag football

By PLN News
Yellow Manassas City Public Schools school bus parked on a city street
A Manassas City Public Schools bus. Photo: Potomac Local file

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

School board war ends in secret deal — no court, no dollars, no apology

By Uriah Kiser
Sara Brescia, Manassas City School Board member. Courtesy campaign photo

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

Brescia says Manassas board used a closed session to discuss pulling her kids from Baldwin

By Uriah Kiser
Sara Brescia, left, Jill Spall, center, and Diana Brown, right, are members of the Manassas City Public Schools School Board.

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.

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Manassas

Manassas School Board ‘Secret Vote’ Fight Delayed

By Uriah Kiser
Manassas City School Board

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.

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Manassas

Manassas City Education Foundation awards $42,700 in scholarships, restarts educator grants

By Uriah Kiser

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.

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