The Virginia Department of Education is hosting Commonwealth Conversations to gather input from parents, educators, and community members on achieving cell phone-free education in Virginia, addressing youth mental health, and education performance. Following Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order 33, which mandates cell phone-free education, school boards will implement related policies by the end of the year, with the changes taking effect in January 2025.
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.
Parents, educators, and interested community members are invited to attend a Commonwealth Conversation and discuss their expectations for the upcoming policy changes that will take effect in January 2025. Below is a list of the upcoming conversations being held throughout the Commonwealth:
Manassas – July 18, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Osbourn High SchoolFredericksburg – July 30, 9 – 10:30 a.m.
James Monroe High School-Virginia Department of Education
Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) recently held its inaugural sports fair at the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center.
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Student representatives are non-voting members and serve for one term, concluding with the final School Board meeting of the school year.
Students will be dismissed early on Friday, June 7, 2024, the last day of school for the 2023-24 school year.
As the Prince William Education Association celebrates its latest collective bargaining victory with Prince William County Public Schools, the state teachers' union is again looking into the local teachers' association practices and has launched an investigation.
Newly obtained documents show that on May 24, Virginia Education Association President James Fedderman sent a letter to Maggie Hansford, President of the Prince William Education Association, informing her that the VEA Executive Committee met on May 18 to discuss members' concerns. Those concerns included PWEA’s “finances, governing procedures, and operating procedures.” The VEA asked Hansford to produce documentation from meeting minutes, bank statements, bylaws, policies, and information on how the organization elects its officers by June 1.
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Virginia Democrats opened their new joint campaign office on May 28, 2024, at the Elwye Center, 17932 Richmond Highway in Dumfries. The event aimed to galvanize support for the Biden/Harris presidential ticket and Senator Tim Kaine’s reelection bid. It’s the latest in a series of Biden campaign offices that have opened in Virignia, where polls show the president is losing ground to Republican challenger Donald Trump in the upcoming 2024 General Election.
Student drummers lined a walkway into the building and played as prominent Democrats from local and state-level offices walked inside. The drummers later joined elected officials and campaign staffers inside.
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When asked, Prince William County Schools did not say whether or not the school division’s new $10 million Evolv metal detecting scanner system detected the weapon when the student brought it inside the school.
From Prince William police:
Possession of a Weapon on School Grounds – On May 24 at 10:59AM, the School Resource Officer (SRO) assigned to Potomac Middle School located at 3130 Panther Pride Dr. in Dumfries (22026) was notified of a student in possession of a weapon. The investigation revealed school security notified the SRO that a student turned over a pocketknife after they received it from a separate student, identified as the accused. Further investigation revealed the accused was observed with the knife during class before the other student took possession of the knife and turned it over to school security. The SRO determined the knife was not part of any threat to other students, faculty, or staff. Following the investigation, officers sought petitions against the accused, identified as a 13-year-old male student. After consultation with Juvenile Court Services, the case resulted in formal action and will be handled through the court process at a later date.
Charged on May 24: [Juvenile]
A 13-year-old male juvenile of Woodbridge
Charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds
Court Date: Pending | Status: Charged/Petitions Obtained
Prince William County Public Schools Career and Technical Education program (CTE) aims to empower students by fostering academic achievement, interests, skills, and authentic learning experiences to help them thrive in an ever-evolving world.
Through four interconnected components, CTE programs provide students with opportunities to explore passions, build in-demand job skills through work-based learning, earn industry credentials, and more.
On May 20,, graduating students of the (CTE) signed commitment forms to further their careers via a variety of apprenticeships as well as military service. Representatives from Lockheed Martin, Plumbers and Gasfitters, AlphaBEST, United States Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy spoke about the commitment and dedication of the class of 2024. They praised the CTE program for providing workplace readiness skills through multiple pathways to ensure a thriving future for students.
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Prince William County Schools: The National Merit® Scholarship Corporation named Skye Auger, a senior at Osbourn Park High School, a 2024 National Merit Scholarship winner. Auger was selected from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists and is one of 2,500 students nationwide to win the National Merit $2,500 scholarship.
“Winning this scholarship is the culmination of all the effort I’ve put into my academic life, and I’m really glad my hard work has paid off in this way. To all the underclassmen who are apprehensive about their futures, I’d just like to say that a strong work ethic always comes back to reward you, so keep trying at every opportunity that comes your way because you might be surprised by what you’re capable of. I also attribute this success to the great educational opportunities I’ve had in this county with teachers who have truly pushed me and given me an environment that I can develop in,” said Auger.
National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the finalists judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. These scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who assessed information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools: academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®); contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by finalists; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships that began in 1955.
