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."
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.
Key changes across all three options include new language on retakes, adjustments to the weighting formula for various assessments, and the removal of guaranteed minimum grades for effort. All options require students to complete remediation activities before retaking assignments or examinations. The options differ mainly in their deadlines for submitting late work:
Option A: Full credit for assignments completed no later than one week before the end of the quarter.
Option B: Full credit for assignments completed within two weeks after the initial due date and before the end of the quarter.
Option C: Full credit for assignments completed before the end of the instruction unit in which they were assigned.
The ten-point grading scale (50 to 100) will remain unchanged.
“For my part, I am grateful to my colleagues for a serious and civil discussion on this issue, and I urge any feedback on this issue to also be cordial and productive,” said School Board member Sara Brescia, who has been pushing for changes to the grading scale.
Brescia has been advocating for a review of the current grading policy, responding to concerns that it does not adequately challenge students and allows those not academically proficient to progress toward graduation without meeting the necessary standards.
Opponents of the current scale argue that it is too lenient on students and does not prepare them for future workplace expectations, where deadlines are critical. “I think the issue with the current grading policy is it allows for students to really do absolutely nothing until the end of the quarter, which in my view, I don’t know how does a student truly learn that way. If they’re not learning throughout the quarter, then they’re not going to pass their assessments, and they’re not going to learn. I think intuitively, we all know that,” said School Board member Robyn Williams.
The discussion for the revised grading scale comes after the school division introduced a 10-point grading policy at the start of the 2021 school year, when some students were returning to the classroom after the forced government shutdowns related to the coronavirus.
The current system allows students to redo assignments to improve their grades, with provisions ensuring that students who attempt to retry assignments do not receive less than a 55% grade, while those who do not will not score less than 50%. This policy aims to give students multiple opportunities to succeed while maintaining a minimum standard.
You can attend the meeting in person or watch it live online. The meeting will also be on Comcast Channel 18 and Verizon FIOS 39.
The School Board of the City of Manassas will have a Regular Business Meeting on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at 6 p.m. Please note the location: Jennie Dean Elementary School, 9601 Prince William Street, Manassas, VA. To view the meeting live, visit https://t.co/63WvYqSCps. pic.twitter.com/tRlTJHybd7
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:
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.
Malicious Wounding *ADDITIONAL ARREST – On July 15, a fifth suspect, identified as Tayvion Omari THORNTON, who was sought in connection to the shooting that occurred at Manassas Mall located at 8300 Sudley Rd in Manassas (20109) on July 9, was arrested.
At this time, investigators believe the main suspects involved in the shooting have been
identified and arrested. Additional individuals are being sought as potential witnesses to the incident. Four other adult men were previously arrested in connection to this case. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Prince William County Police Department tipline at 703-792-7000 or submit a webtip to: pwcva.gov/policetip.
Arrested on July 15: [No photo available]
Tayvion Omari THORNTON, 18, of no fixed address
Charged with 2 counts of principal in the 2nd degree malicious wounding, 1 count of carrying a concealed weapon, 1 count of principal in the second degree willfully discharging a firearm in a public place, and 1 count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony
Court Date: Pending | Bond: Unavailable
A woman and two men carjacked a driver at Prince William Plaza on Richmond Highway.
Carjacking – On July 16 at 1:34AM, officers responded to Prince William Plaza located at 14428 Richmond Hwy. in Woodbridge (22191) to investigate a robbery. The investigation revealed the victim, a 53-year-old man, was inside his vehicle when he was approached by an unknown woman and two unknown men. One of the men asked the victim for money while the other man got into the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle where he then threatened the victim. When the victim got out of the vehicle, he was assaulted by the woman before running out of the area. The suspects took the victim’s vehicle and left the area. No injuries were reported. The suspects were only described as two black males, and one back female.
Vehicle Description:
A silver 2002 GMC Yukon Denali, with Virginia license plate: TST-8652
Police arrested a woman after a man was robbed while trying to get out of his car in the 7300 block of Sudley Road near Manassas, near a Hampton Inn. The woman bit the man before taking his wallet, police said.
Ingram
Strong-Arm Robbery *ARREST – On July 15, officers concluded an investigation into a robbery that was reported to have occurred in the 7300 block of Sudley Rd. in Manassas (20109) on July 5. While investigating the incident, officers identified and obtained arrest warrants for the suspect, identified as the accused. On July 15, the accused, identified as
Brianna Grace INGRAM, was arrested without incident.
Arrested on July 15:
Brianna Grace INGRAM, 28, of no fixed address
Charged with robbery
Court Date: Pending | Bond: Held WITHOUT Bond
Strong-Arm Robbery [Previously Released] – On July 5 at 2:32PM, officers responded to the 7300 block of Sudley Rd. in Manassas (20109) to investigate a robbery. The investigation revealed the victim, a 34-year-old man, was getting out of his vehicle when an unknown woman attempted to take his wallet. When the victim attempted to pull away, the suspectbit the victim’s hand and took his wallet before running away. Officers and a police K-9 searched the area for the suspect who was not located. The victim reported minor injuries.
Stafford County
Child faces vandalism charges at elementary school
Garrisonville Elementary School, 7/15, 10:29 a.m. School staff reported a juvenile student had entered the school and skateboarded through the halls and gym causing damage. The juvenile was positively identified by Deputy J.M. Smihal and is now facing charges of trespassing, vandalism and petit larceny.
[Courtesy of NOVEC via Facebook]In honor of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC) 80th anniversary, they gave $80,000 in scholarships, thousands of which went to those served by the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC).
VMDAEC, an association of electric cooperatives based in Glen Allen, announced the six local high school seniors who received $1,000 scholarships apiece:
Keira Moorhead of Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School in Manassas (Prince William County)
Aaron Viens of Mountain View High School in Stafford (Stafford County)
Katelyn Miller of Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville (Loudoun County)
Luke Austin of Austin Homeschool Academy in Aldie (Loudoun County)
Julia Atkinson of Seton School in Manassas (Prince William County)
Ethan Lim of Gainesville High School in Gainesville (Prince William County)
All these students plan to attend a two- or four-year institution in the fall.
“VMDAEC’s 80th anniversary comes as we also celebrate our millionth dollar of scholarships awarded since the Foundation’s inception in 2001,” Russell G. “Rusty” Brown, chair of the VMDAEC Education Scholarship Foundation Board, said in the press release. “These two important milestones merited an extraordinary celebratory act on our part. To that end, we decided to give $80,000 in scholarships — the most we have ever given in the history of the foundation.”
VMDAEC awarded 65 scholarships in total based on financial need, academic achievement, community involvement and a student’s personal history. A number of scholarships were also given to those participating in co-op. NOVEC also awarded $20,000 in scholarships to high school seniors, but names of the recipients have not yet been released.
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.
“Selection of the best Superintendent candidate for their school division is the most important decision a School Board makes,” said Maureen Siegmund, Chair of Stafford County School Board. “We will rely heavily on the information gleaned from our upcoming community engagement sessions while calling on our vision for the future of Stafford Schools to select the next leader of Stafford Schools.”
Following the announcement of Superintendent Dr. Thomas W. Taylor’s departure from Stafford County Schools (SCPS), the School Board held a Special Called Meeting on June 18. After a closed session, the School Board unanimously appointed Chris R. Fulmer as the Acting Superintendent.
Stafford County Public Schools (SCPS) has announced the departure of Superintendent Dr. Thomas W. Taylor, who has led SCPS since November 2021. Dr. Taylor will begin serving as Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools effective this fall. In a county-wide email, Dr. Taylor lauded accomplishments made in the schools but also noted the county has dropped from 111 to 117 in state rankings for school funding.
During his tenure, Dr. Taylor implemented several measures to improve educational outcomes, including the introduction of staffing standards and a streamlined budget focused on efficiency. SCPS saw an over 20% increase in average staff wages and advancements in diversity and gender equity in leadership positions that exceed national and state averages. Dr. Taylor also oversaw the construction of three new schools and renovating Edward E. Drew Middle School to accommodate the county’s growth.
Taylor was the system’s 4th superintendent in 12 years.
George Mason University’s Patriot Pitch Competition awarded its top prize in the General Entrepreneurship Track to Zachary Suh, a 19-year-old freshman from Ashburn studying marketing.
Suh’s venture, ElderlyEats, aims to provide senior citizens with nutritious and culturally familiar meal plans.
“ElderlyEats is basically a meal plan company that’s catered to the specific needs of the elderly’s dietary nutrition,” said Suh. “We have dietitians on our team that vet our meals carefully to the nutrition of elders.”
Unlike popular meal kit services like HelloFresh and Blue Apron, ElderlyEats focuses on creating meals for seniors with conditions such as dysphagia and diabetes. His personal experience inspired Suh with his grandmother, who struggled to find suitable meals due to Alzheimer’s and dysphagia. “We ordered these dishes, but she couldn’t actually eat them. So we had to almost like puree it up for her,” he explained.
The company emphasizes traditional dietary ingredients to provide familiar flavors, addressing a gap left by mainstream meal services that cater to younger demographics. “We’re focusing on developing these menu items that are just pureed completely. We’re looking at rice porridges, soups, stuff like that,” said Suh. “A big thing about these major meal plans is that they’re focusing on a very young demographic, so their meals are very catered to, you know, kind of trendy cultural foods.”
Suh’s journey into entrepreneurship was influenced by his brother, a successful entrepreneur who received investment from Y Combinator. “My brother definitely influenced that. I actually competed with him at UVA when I was a high schooler in another entrepreneurship competition, and that kind of exposed me to it,” Suh said.
Despite the challenges, Suh is committed to growing his business and hopes to continue in the field of entrepreneurship, potentially opening a restaurant in the future. “If I was able to successfully exit my company, then I’d probably open up a restaurant. But I think I’ll definitely stay in the world of entrepreneurship,” he stated.
Suh encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their passion and start small businesses. “Whatever you’re passionate in, that’s what you’re going to put the most hours in and the most work in,” he said. “You just got to start. You can’t just keep saying you’re going to do something. Break your big goal into smaller plans and just execute through that.”
As a freshman, Suh has made significant strides with ElderlyEats and looks forward to further developing his venture while completing his studies at George Mason University. “I really have no idea right now where I see myself in the next five years,” Suh admitted. “But I’m just going to keep working on ElderlyEats and see where it takes me.”
“[Daryl] Overton, known for his success at Freedom High School in Prince William County, had announced on Feb. 13 that he would take over the football program at Hayfield. Overton said he would be working daily as a security guard at Hayfield.
He arrived at Hayfield amid high expectations but has quickly become a center of controversy, according to sources, including demands for a “donation” from a “Team Mom/Manager” who said she had worked for six years with Overton at Freedom High School. Later, Overton promoted a fundraiser on [an] online platform that raised an estimated $29,630. The Fairfax County Times interviewed numerous sources for this story, and they asked to remain anonymous, afraid of retaliation against them or their children.”, reports Fairfax County Times.
Stafford, Prince William, and Manassas are all participating in the Summer Food Service Program this year. The meal service is part of the Summer Food Service Program federally funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, or age, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided at the sites and times below:
Stafford Schools
Conway Elem. June 10-July 13 7:45-8:15 a.m. 10:30-12 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Kate Waller Barrett Elem. June 10-July 3 7:45-8:15 a.m. 10:30-12 p.m.
Widewater Elem. June 10-July 12 7:45-8:15 a.m. 10:30-12 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Stafford Middle June 10-July 3 8:30-9 a.m. 11-12:30 p.m. Closed June 28
Edward E. Drew Middle June 24-July 11 8:30-9 a.m. 11-12:30 p.m. Closed July 3-4
Shirley C. Heim Middle July 8-July 25 8:30-9 a.m. 11-12:30 p.m.
Manassas Schools
All schools are closed July 4.
Jennie Dean Elem. School June 24-July 11 8:45-9:15 a.m. 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Round Elem. School June 24-July 11 8:45-9:15 a.m. 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Mayfield Intermediate School June 24-July 11 8:45-9:15 a.m. 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Osbourn High School June 17-July 25 9 a.m.-9:30 a.m. 1:15-1:45 p.m.
Prince William Schools
Belmont Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Dale City Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Featherstone Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Fitzgerald Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Freedom High June 20-July 26 7-8 a.m. 10-11:30 a.m. Closed July 4-5
Hampton Middle June 13-July 12 7:15-8:15 a.m. 10-11:15 a.m. Closed July 4-5
Innovation Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Kerrydale Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Leesylvania Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Loch Lomond Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Osbourn Park High June 20-July 26 7-8 a.m. 10-11:30 a.m. Closed July 4-5
Parkside Middle June 24-July 12 7:15-8:15 a.m. 10-11:15 a.m. Closed July 4-5
Pennington Traditional July 15-July 26 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Porter Traditional July 15-July 26 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Potomac Middle June 24-July 12 7:15-8:15 a.m. 10-11:15 a.m. Closed July 4-5
Rockledge Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Rosa Parks Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
Triangle Elem. June 24-July 12 8:30-9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Closed July 4-5
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.
![Zachary Suh, 19, is the George Mason University’s Patriot Pitch Competition winner. Suh’s venture, ElderlyEats, aims to provide senior citizens with nutritious and culturally familiar meal plans. [Submitted photo]](https://www.potomaclocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/JWB-041124-GMU-BizPitch-0925-final-3-1260x840.jpg){kind=link}
![Zachary Suh, 19, is the George Mason University’s Patriot Pitch Competition winner. Suh’s venture, ElderlyEats, aims to provide senior citizens with nutritious and culturally familiar meal plans. [Submitted photo]](https://www.potomaclocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/JWB-041124-GMU-BizPitch-0979-final-1260x840.jpg){kind=link}
![Zachary Suh, 19, is the George Mason University’s Patriot Pitch Competition winner. Suh’s venture, ElderlyEats, aims to provide senior citizens with nutritious and culturally familiar meal plans. [Submitted photo]](https://www.potomaclocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/JWB-041124-GMU-BizPitch-1257-final-3-1260x840.jpg){kind=link}