Children in the Hastings Public Schools district can easily get their hands on a book titled “Gender Queer” that includes illustrations of sexual acts, a school board member said.
In an interview conducted by Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Dippel, Hastings school board member Carrie Tate confirmed that the controversial graphic novel by Maia Kobabe is available to schoolchildren in the district. The book depicts oral sex and masturbation.
Read More
Governor Glenn Youngkin and Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09) announced eight new projects in southwest Virginia that will be recommended for grant funding from the Virginia Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program. The projects include an outdoor recreation area, a shooting range, industrial sites, and a housing development.
“These projects selected support our goals of immediate job creation and the development of new business-ready sites that will be the fuel that drives new business investment in these southwest Virginia communities,” Youngkin said in a Friday announcement.
Read More
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Friday that he wants $10 million in the upcoming budget for research and development for energy technology, including $5 million focused on nuclear.
“Today I am pleased to propose a $10 million investment in the upcoming budget to turn Virginia into a leader in energy innovation,” Youngkin said in the announcement. “With technologies like carbon capture and utilization, and resources like critical minerals, hydrogen, and nuclear, we will make Virginia the epicenter for reliable and affordable energy innovation.”
Read More
Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (D-Prince William) is working to introduce legislation that could make it child abuse or neglect for parents to not affirm their child’s sexual identity or gender orientation, according to a Thursday report from WJLA. That proposal triggered widespread criticism on Friday, and Guzman later criticized WJLA’s reporting.…
Read More
Virginia Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) and West Virginia Speaker Roger Hanshaw (R-Clay) are partnering to create a framework to bring advanced nuclear technology to their states. West Virginia has recently repealed a ban on developing nuclear energy sources, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin recently called for a “moonshot” — constructing a small modular reactor in southwest Virginia. In addition to addressing energy needs, leaders are hoping the push will bring economic and technological development to the economically-challenged areas.
“Virginia has been the beneficiary of nuclear power for many years,” Gilbert said in a Thursday press release. “Nothing works harder, longer, safer, or more reliably than a nuclear power plant. Small nuclear reactors are the next wave of energy technology, and Virginia should be an East Coast hub for its development and deployment. It’s important that rural and economically challenged areas, and the Commonwealth of Virginia as a whole, benefit from the innovation, jobs, and investment small modular nuclear technology will bring to the electric grid.”
Read More
Governor Glenn Youngkin has a 50 percent job approval rating but Democrats are slightly ahead on the generic ballot in a new poll released by Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center.
“When asked about the direction of the Commonwealth, 42 percent say Virginia is headed in the right direction, while 40 percent say the wrong direction. 50 percent of Virginians approve of the job Governor Youngkin is doing while 40 percent disapprove and nine percent indicate they don’t know,” the center reported Wednesday
Read More
Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) blasted his predecessor Denver Riggleman for endorsing Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) for reelection.
“This is a marriage made in heaven,” Good said on The John Fredericks Show. “I have not, in two years, talked about my predecessor, but I’ll do that this morning a little bit. Abigail Spanberger has been a fraud from the very beginning. She ran as a moderate, she voted as a leftist.”
Read More
Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) and challenger Virginia Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) faced off in a Wednesday debate hosted by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. While many of the debate questions were more business-focused, the two candidates took repeated swings at their opponents’ weak points. Kiggans attacked Luria for aligning with Democrats and cited the economic impacts of their policy, and Luria warned that if elected, Kiggans would take a hard line on abortion and other reproductive issues.
The moderator asked Luria how she felt about the end of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and what the district should expect from Luria on energy. She responded by emphasizing the importance of nuclear power and added, “What they can expect from me: offshore wind development. You know, we’re not going to wake up tomorrow and stop using oil and natural gas. Of course we need adequate transmission of oil and natural gas to support our industry in the area.”
Read More
Former Republican Representative Denver Riggleman endorsed Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and appeared in a new ad touting Spanberger’s moderate stance. The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) fired back, saying that Spanberger is “trying to burnish the false veneer of bipartisanship.”
“In Congress, the parties sit apart and don’t work together — except for Abigail Spanberger,” Riggleman says in the ad. “She’s trying to change Congress and make it work.”
Read More
Commissioner of the Department of Elections (ELECT) Susan Beals said that legislative changes have stressed Virginia’s elections registration system, although she said the department is still investigating what caused a delay in the processing of thousands of voter registrations from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Read More
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin defended his policy regarding gender identity rules for the public school system, saying children don’t belong to the state.
Under the rules, student bathrooms and sports teams should be based on sex assigned at birth, not gender identity. Parental approval would be required if a student wants to change their name, according to the new policy.
Read More
A doctor associated with the major professional association for practitioners who provide puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and transgender surgeries for young people expressed concern minors do not have the mental capacity to comprehend the results of these life-altering procedures, a Project Veritas report reveals.
“Some of the Dutch researchers started – gave some data about young adults who had transitioned and have reproductive regret – like regret – and it’s there,” British Columbia Children’s Hospital pediatric endocrinologist Daniel Metzger, M.D. told his viewers during a video conference. “And I don’t think any of that surprises us.”
Read More
Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) is drafting legislation to repeal a 2021 bill that made college students eligible for state financial aid regardless of immigration status.
“We are in the midst of a higher education cost crisis caused by the federal government’s continued involvement in the student loan process,” Reeves said in a press release. “To think that we would prioritize students that are here illegally over our country’s own citizens is astounding. All this does is decrease the pool of scholarships and funds available to law-abiding US citizens who reside in Virginia, worsening the issues that our youth face today when it comes to the accessibility of higher education. To support this legislation would feel like turning my back on my constituents. I am committed to repealing this unethical, irresponsible law.”
Read More
Social media giant Twitter first blocked, then restored, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s tweet regarding the state health department’s guidance in which is noted a study showing an “84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiac-related death among males 18-39 years old within 28 days following mRNA vaccination COVID-19 mRNA shots.”
“Today, we released an analysis on COVID-19 mRNA vaccines the public needs to be aware of,” Ladapo tweeted. “This analysis showed an increased risk of cardiac-related death among men 18-39. FL will not be silent on the truth.”
Read More
In an upset, Holly Seibold is the Democratic nominee for the House District 35 special election despite endorsements for Fairfax School Board Member Karl Frisch from many top Fairfax Democrats including former Speaker of the House of Delegates Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax), Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Virginia Senate Finance Chair Janet Howell (D-Fairfax), Delegate Marcus Simon (D-Fairfax), Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, several county supervisors, and several school board members.
“I cannot thank the Democrats of District 35 enough for this tremendous honor. I promise to make you proud in Richmond and fight for the Virginia values of equality, justice, and freedom,” Seibold said on Facebook. “And thank you to Karl Frisch for his kind words and for making me a better candidate. Democrats stand strong together, and I look forward to us all uniting to keep this seat blue on January 10th.”
Read More
Four Virginia communities will receive about $847,000 in state grants to restore and redevelop brownfield sites to make them more attractive for economic development projects.
More than $316,000 will help Bedford redevelop the former Winoa USA plant, nearly $108,000 will go to Patrick County to work on the former Pioneer Hospital property, another $300,000 will support efforts in Saltville to redevelop the Saltville Town Shop and nearly $123,000 will help redevelop the Marion Intermediate School in Smyth County.
Read More
The International Economic Development Council gave the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development excellence awards for three of the department’s economic development programs: the Community Business Launch, Industrial Revitalization Fund and Growth and Opportunity for Virginia (GO Virginia).
“Virginia’s IEDC awards are well-deserved recognition for the ongoing and innovative programs that are supporting our economic development efforts across Virginia,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a release.
Youngkin’s office regularly highlights grants and other economic development projects across Virginia.
Read More
Senator Bill Stanley (R-Franklin) is representing former race car driver Hermie Sadler in a lawsuit over skill games against Governor Glenn Youngkin, Attorney General Jason Miyares, and the Virginia ABC. In an August update to the lawsuit first filed against the previous administration, Sadler criticizes top finance legislators for modifying Virginia’s skill games ban through the budget and says the ban still violates free speech and due process rights.
“[A] select group of budget conferees, including Senator Howell and Delegate Barry Knight schemed to sneak into the delayed budget bill a purported amendment to the enjoined Skill Games Ban,” the updated lawsuit complaint states.
Read More
Lance Allen, a candidate for the Republican Party of Virginia’s Senate District 1 nomination, called law enforcement to block opponent Delegate Dave LaRock (R-Loudoun) from entering a screening of 2,000 Mules on Thursday evening. In Facebook posts, Allen said he told LaRock he was welcome to attend but not to campaign at the event, but that “LaRock attempted to disrupt” the campaign event.
“I spoke to Delegate LaRock earlier today, and he informed me that he was going to show up anyways, campaign and that if I wanted to have him removed, I’d have to ‘call the local sheriff,’ and that’s what I did. After Delegate LaRock showed up to our campaign event, that we paid for, he began to actively campaign. I then called the sheriff to have him removed,” Allen said in a Thursday release.
Read More
The Virginia Department of the Treasury has launched a new program and web-based search for Virginians to claim unclaimed money owed them by businesses.
“One in four Virginians has unclaimed property so we encourage all Virginians to search our free website for their unclaimed property,” Virginia Treasurer David Richardson said in a press release.
Read More
Virginia is on track to meet 2025 pollution-reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay thanks to progress addressing wastewater in the Commonwealth, even though it’s failing to reduce other sources of pollution like runoff from urban areas and agriculture, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).
“Long term, this is not sustainable, especially when pollution from stormwater continues to grow. To meet its 2025 commitments, Virginia must rapidly accelerate pollution reductions from these sources. Recent increased investments are a promising step, but these funding levels must be maintained and targeted to the most beneficial pollution-reduction practices, such as planting streamside forest buffers,” the Foundation said in a summary of its 2022 State of the Blueprint report.
Read More
Governor Glenn Youngkin has approved a $20,000 grant to investigate a potential meat processing facility at the Fauquier Livestock Exchange.
“As I travel across the Commonwealth, I listen to our farmers about what they need to be successful and additional meat processing capacity is always at the top of the list,” Youngkin said in a Wednesday release. “I am pleased to partner with Fauquier County and its cattlemen with this AFID [Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development] grant to explore ways to increase the resiliency of Virginia’s agricultural economy and provide farmers new opportunities to be successful.”
Read More
Virginia has 15,338 state employees teleworking at least one day a week, according to a September 30 report from the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM). That’s up from pre-pandemic 5,664 employees in 2019; Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration said the increase is good.
“As of September 7, 2022, 42 percent of classified executive branch employees were eligible for telework. Of those, 66 percent have approved telework agreements in place. This is significantly higher than employees eligible (26 percent) and approved for telework (37 percent) in 2019,” the report states.
Read More
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Representative Ben Cline (R-VA-06) said guidelines for funding from the bipartisan infrastructure bill will “hamstring funding for traditional infrastructure such as roads and highways” by favoring public transit, renewable energy, climate resilience, electric vehicle infrastructure, and other projects.
“During a time of 40-year high inflation, a crippling supply chain, and higher prices of goods and services, the Biden administration is prioritizing infrastructure funds for Green New Deal projects over highway expansion,” Cline said in a Tuesday press release. “Americans need transparency from this administration to ensure their tax dollars are being properly used.”
Read More
The Energy DELTA Lab will launch its first site in Wise County, with the goal of testing new energy technology for commercial implementation while boosting economic growth in Southwest Virginia.
“Since announcing the Virginia 2022 Energy Plan, I am pleased to announce this Energy DELTA Lab project which delivers on our vision to define Virginia as a force in energy innovation,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a press release the day after calling for a new nuclear reactor in southwest Virginia.
Read More
A group of conservative organizations and think tanks announced that they’re exploring litigation related to Virginia’s Offshore Wind Project over concerns that the project could harm endangered North Atlantic right whales.
“Unless BOEM [Bureau of Ocean Energy Management] requires extensive, effective, unprecedented protection measures for the North Atlantic right whale immediately, this species is almost certainly headed toward extinction,” American Coalition for Ocean Protection [ACOP] President David Stevenson said in a press release from the Heartland Institute. “With only a little more than 300 individual right whales alive today, this endangered species is in dire need of protection, and the Virginia Wind Project lies directly in their annual migration path. The project will require extensive daily maintenance by multiple service ships, and the potential for whale fatalities due to ship strikes is indisputable.”
Read More
Governor Glenn Youngkin wants to add more nuclear power generation in Virginia, calling for the construction of a reactor in Southwest Virginia as part of the 2022 energy plan. Energy plans are issued by each governor as a statement of the administration’s priorities and recommendations.
“I want to plant a flag right now. I want to call our moonshot. Virginia will launch a commercial small modular reactor [SMR] that will be serving customers with baseload power demand in southwest Virginia within the next 10 years,” Youngkin said at the Monday presentation.
Read More
Recently, Virginia Democrats and dishonest mainstream media pundits have attempted to dunk on Governor Youngkin for saying that under Democrat rule, “Virginia is a border state.” But while Virginia doesn’t share a physical border with Mexico, Governor Youngkin’s comments nonetheless underscore a stark reality for Americans in Virginia and throughout the entire country – thanks to Joe Biden and failed Democrat policies, every state is now a border state.
Governor Youngkin’s comments on Fox News were in reference to the opioid crisis that is sweeping our nation – a crisis that Democrats are apparently oblivious to or unwilling to acknowledge is directly related to the surge of illegal immigration at our southern border. The entire country, not just border states, is experiencing a spike in fentanyl overdoses as thousands of pounds of the deadly narcotic pour into the country. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 107,000 fatal drug overdoses in 2021, the highest number on record. In just the past two months, border patrol officers have seized more than 5 million fentanyl pills at just the border crossing in Nogales, Arizona.
Read More
All four of Virginia’s Republican congressmen voted against a continuing resolution to continue funding the government through December 16, 2022; the bill passed Friday with just 10 votes from Republicans nationally, sending the bill to President Joe Biden who signed the legislation the same day. In press releases, three of the Virginia Republicans criticized the bill for continuing Democratic spending. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Elaine Luria (D-VA-02), both in competitive elections in swing districts, criticized Congress’ use of continuing resolutions but said the bill is necessary to keep government open.
Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) cited similar good-governance concerns as his reason for voting against the bill.
He said Friday, “Today’s passage of a Continuing Resolution – an irresponsible stop-gap measure – is an unfortunate reminder of Washington’s ‘budget by crisis’ mentality.
Read More
Hundreds of Virginians have had their guns confiscated from them through red-flag laws since those rules went into effect more than two years ago, according to data in the Virginia Firearms Transaction Center.
Red-flag laws allow police to seize firearms from a person if a judge deems him or her to be a threat to himself or others, even if that person has not been convicted of a crime, charged with a crime or even accused of a crime. The laws passed the General Assembly when Democrats had control of both chambers and were signed by former Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. The legislation received staunch opposition from the Republican minority at the time.
Read More
All four of Virginia’s Republican congressmen voted against a continuing resolution to continue funding the government through December 16, 2022; the bill passed Friday with just 10 votes from Republicans nationally, sending the bill to President Joe Biden who signed the legislation the same day. In press releases, three of the Virginia Republicans criticized the bill for continuing Democratic spending. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Elaine Luria (D-VA-02), both in competitive elections in swing districts, criticized Congress’ use of continuing resolutions but said the bill is necessary to keep government open.
Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) cited similar good-governance concerns as his reason for voting against the bill.
He said Friday, “Today’s passage of a Continuing Resolution – an irresponsible stop-gap measure – is an unfortunate reminder of Washington’s ‘budget by crisis’ mentality.
Read More
Spotsylvania middle school English-as-second language [ESL] teacher Fabiana Parker is the 2023 Virginia Teacher of the Year, making her Virginia’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year.
“Teachers play a critical role in the success of every learner and child in Virginia and Fabiana is the best of the best,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a Virginia Department of Education press release. “Growing up as an ESL student, Fabiana knows firsthand the challenges her students face. She began her career as an educator as a girl teaching her grandmother to read. She has helped hundreds of students find a path to success by equipping them with the English skills necessary to prosper academically and in life.”
Read More
Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) criticized Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) and House Democratic leadership for moves that killed bipartisan congressional stock trading reform legislation, but her opponent in the election Yesli Vega said in a press release that the congresswoman “isn’t fooling anyone.”
“This moment marks a failure of House leadership. This moment is yet another example of why I believe that the Democratic Party needs new leaders in the halls of Capitol Hill — as I have long made known,” Spanberger said in a Friday press release.
Read More
George Mason University’s (GMU) Board of Visitors voted Thursday to refund a three percent tuition increase charged to undergraduates for the 2022-2023 academic year. GMU was the last holdout among Virginia’s public colleges and universities resisting Governor Glenn Youngkin’s call for a tuition freeze.
“Today, George Mason University joined the 14 other public college and university boards, which serve more than a quarter-million undergraduate college students in Virginia, by pledging to keep tuition flat for in-state students,” Youngkin said in a Thursday press release.
Read More
Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) criticized Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) and House Democratic leadership for moves that killed bipartisan congressional stock trading reform legislation, but her opponent in the election Yesli Vega said in a press release that the congresswoman “isn’t fooling anyone.”
“This moment marks a failure of House leadership. This moment is yet another example of why I believe that the Democratic Party needs new leaders in the halls of Capitol Hill — as I have long made known,” Spanberger said in a Friday press release.
Read More
A circuit court has granted a temporary injunction blocking City of Winchester’s ban on guns in parks and public permitted events, but leaves intact a ban on guns in city buildings. That’s a partial win for the plaintiffs well over a year after the lawsuit was first filed.
“Boy, do the wheels of justice turn slowly in this country, wow,” Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) President Philip Van Cleave told The Virginia Star. “You know, it’s an injunction. We were hoping to get something like that fairly quickly.”
Read More
Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) is highlighting how “radical” Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) by citing the recent incident where Spanberger cursed at him at the Virginia congressional delegation meeting with Governor Glenn Youngkin last week.
Good said on The John Fredericks Show that while the congressmen were presenting feedback to Youngkin, “two members of the delegation decided to take that time to attack the governor for his common-sense, parents first, children first policies.”
Read More
Governor Glenn Youngkin has issued a state of emergency, triggering Virginia’s price-gouging laws ahead of heavy rain and gusty winds, remnants of Hurricane Ian, expected to hit Virginia beginning on Friday.
“In addition to making smart decisions and keeping up with news developments during a statewide emergency declaration, Virginians must also support each other during this potentially hazardous time,” Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a Thursday press release. “Any violations of Virginia’s Anti-Price Gouging Act or exploitation of Virginians’ wallets will be thoroughly prosecuted through the Virginia Consumer Protection Act by my office. Bad actors will be held accountable.”
Read More
Delegate Wren Williams (R-Patrick) says surveillance video shows that Delegate Marie March’s (R-Pulaski) allegations of assault are baseless, but March reiterated her claims in a Wednesday interview on The John Fredericks Show.
Read More
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is calling on U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to investigate low-income drug pricing practices after The New York Times published a report on practices at Richmond Community Hospital owned by Bon Secours.
“Bon Secours Mercy Health, a major nonprofit health system, used the poverty of Richmond Community Hospital’s patients to tap into a lucrative federal drug program,” The Times said in a Saturday article.
Read More
The Virginia Department of Education’s new draft transgender policies received over 20,000 comments on Monday and Tuesday, the first two days of the 30-day public comment period.
Comments on the Model Policies on the Privacy Dignity and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools include both support and opposition, and often show strong feeling about the policies.
“We support this policy! God bless Governor Youngkin,” commenter Heather West wrote. “As a parent of six school aged children, I am grateful that Gov Youngkin has chosen to go to bat for us. It is brave to stand up against the tyranny of the rainbow crowd. Onward with more policies that promote REAL education and not social indoctrination. God bless us all as we work to restore truth to our educational institutions.”
Read More
Delegate Marie March (R-Floyd) has filed a criminal complaint for misdemeanor assault against Delegate Wren Williams (R-Patrick) after an incident at a GOP fundraiser Saturday. The incident is an escalation in the already-heated primary battle between the two Republicans paired in a deep-red district.
“While attending the 9th District GOP dinner in Wytheville, Delegate Williams approached me in the lobby of the meeting room and struck me with his body,” March wrote in a press release, alleging that Williams also “verbally assaulted” a Carroll County supervisor.
Read More
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that he will donate his third-quarter salary to G3 Community services, a non-profit which provides coaching and mentoring in Stafford County public schools. The organization’s site says its mission is to “restore, inspire, and empower the family unit”.
“I love the mission,” Youngkin said at a Monday ceremony. “This mission about restoring and inspiring and empowering the family unit to improve lives and strengthen communities, a vision to inspire change through people — through people, this is how we in fact see great transformation, is when we work through people in our communities focusing on the mission rather than self.”
Read More
In an interview before a live audience at the Texas Tribune Festival Friday, Governor Glenn Youngkin answered questions about a potential 2024 presidential run, Donald Trump, campaigning for Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, pro-life policy, and education policy. Most of Youngkin’s answers sounded similar to other speeches he’s made in Virginia, although there was more criticism of the U.S.’ border policy and of President Joe Biden’s leadership.
As part of a series of questions sounding Youngkin out about national political ambitions, Washington Examiner Senior Correspondent David Drucker asked Youngkin what Trump did right, and what he did wrong. Youngkin said that the former president successfully addressed kitchen-table economic concerns, supported law enforcement, and focuses on parents and high expectations in education.
Read More
With Congressional elections about a month and a half away, Virginians who want to cast their ballots early can begin doing so.
Registered voters can cast their early ballots in person at the general registrar’s office for the jurisdiction in which they are registered, according to a news release from the Virginia Department of Elections. Some jurisdictions also offer satellite locations for early voting in addition to offering them at the general registrar’s office.
Read More
RapidFlight, a new unmanned aircraft manufacturer backed by venture capital, will establish a base in Manassas, according to a Friday announcement.
RapidFlight’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Jay Gundlach praised Virginia in the announcement: “Thanks to its central location on the East Coast, we can readily work face-to-face with our government customers while also leveraging Virginia’s Unmanned Systems’ infrastructure to conduct operations and test our systems, rapidly delivering new capabilities to our nation.”
Read More
Virginia is partnering with the National Child ID program to provide ID kits for families to keep on hand if a child goes missing.
“As Attorney General, my biggest priority is keeping our children safe. That’s why I’m thrilled to join Virginia Tech legend Frank Beamer and launch the Virginia Child ID Program. The National Child ID Program is a free, easy, and effective tool to help Virginia parents prepare for the unimaginable,” Miyares said in the Thursday announcement.
Read More
The Virginia Department of Education released the first accreditation data for schools since COVID-19 began, and 89 percent of Virginia’s districts are fully accredited for the 2022 through 2023 year, three percent less than 92 percent in the 2019 through 2020 period. But Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration isn’t celebrating the relatively small decrease; instead officials say that shows that accreditation standards don’t capture the reality of COVID-19 learning losses.
“These ratings call into question the effectiveness of our accreditation standards in identifying schools where students are struggling to achieve grade-level proficiency,” Superintendent of Public Education Jillian Balow said in a press release announcing the accreditation rate.
Read More
Some school districts are already signaling resistance to new draft model policies from the Virginia Department of Education that will repeal current model policies controlling school district transgender policy.
“We want to assure you that Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) will continue its commitment to both implement and develop gender affirming policies for all ACPS students. As a School Board and division, we are concerned with these ‘model policies’ that do not align with our mission, vision and core values to support all students and staff, in particular our core value of ensuring that we provide a welcoming environment for everyone in our school community,” Alexandria City Public Schools said in a letter to students, staff and families.
Read More
Louisiana parents opposed to COVID mRNA shots for their children won a victory as the state’s department of health rescinded its mandate that schoolchildren be injected.
The Louisiana Department of Health repealed its mandate Tuesday, leading Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) to file a motion to dismiss his lawsuit, Crews v. Edwards, against Governor John Bel Edwards (D).
Read More