BEDFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

After assessing 50 structures, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management says only 15 sustained damage during Friday morning’s severe weather in Bedford County. We’re told three of those were destroyed.

They’ll vote on whether to abide by Youngkin’s executive order or leave the mandate in place for one more week.

Bedford County Public schools voted to end masks requirements and contact tracing for K-12 students at a board meeting Thursday night.

They’re offering classes to prepare people for the written portion of the bus driver exam. Once you pass, the district will train you on their buses.

Nationwide supply chain issues continue to threaten local school lunch programs.

Bedford County Public Schools are presenting parents with options if they’re seeking medical exemptions for their children to wear masks.

Dozens of parents packed the Bedford County School Board meeting Thursday to voice their concerns over the new mask mandate.

If you couldn’t make it Wednesday, the store manager says you can donate supplies the first weekend of August—which is Walmart's back-to-school, tax-free weekend.

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – Bedford County Public Schools has appointed a new superintendent. Dr. Marc Bergin was named the school district’s new superintendent after a unanimous vote by the school board on Thursday. “Bedford County is a beautiful place to live and work, and our schools have an impressive track record of achievement,” Bergin said. Prior to that, he served for three years as the Deputy Superintendent of Moore County Public Schools in North Carolina, an economically diverse community with a similarly sized school division to Bedford County. “With family still residing in Lynchburg, we have frequented the area and are delighted to be able to live and work in Bedford County.”He will assume his new position with Bedford County Public Schools on June 1.

Today will be a remote learning day for Bedford County Public Schools. To make up for time missed due to vaccines, the Instructional Collaboration Day on April 28th will now be a regular school day. The Steering Committee for the Future of Education Task Force in Lynchburg will meet today. The task force was formed to help drive the long-term success of city schools. AdThe Roanoke Valley Resource Authority will meet today to discuss the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – Nearly 450 Bedford County public school employees received their second COVID-19 vaccine dose on Tuesday. Since September, Bedford County has offered in-person instruction five days a week for Pre-K through sixth grade, and at least two days a week for grades seven through 12. While there is a virtual option, Huggins believes returning to a typical school day takes some strain off parents. Patricia Knox, the school division’s physical and mental health supervisor, hopes more shots in arms means more children returning to classrooms. Out of an abundance of caution, Bedford County canceled in-person classes Wednesday.

UPDATE - Jan. 28, 2021GOODVIEW, Va. - Some Bedford County elementary school students will be virtual for another week. The school division announced Thursday that Stewartsville Elementary School’s will now be fully virtual until Feb. 8. This decision is due to several staff members having to quarantine due to potential exposure to the virus. ORIGINAL STORY - Jan. 24, 2021Stewartsville Elementary School is temporarily closed due to positive COVID-19 cases within the school. Officials said this decision was made because several staff members had to quarantine due to potential exposure to the virus.

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – School leaders in Bedford County are choosing to delay the start of school athletic competitions due to the number of COVID-19 cases in the community. In a special meeting Thursday night, the Bedford County School Board voted 4-3 in favor of delaying the return to athletic competitions. Board chair Martin Leamy was one of three board members who voted against the delay. The board adopted a matrix using guidelines and CDC data for local COVID-19 case numbers and positivity rates. School leaders said those numbers are guiding their decisions and the numbers just aren’t where they would like to see them.

“We were able to see some of the gaps we had, what training we needed,” Karen Woodford, chief learning officer, said. Woodford said their more tech-savvy teachers were trained two weeks ago on a free state-provided platform called Canvas. They’re doing video modules. “It’s a module where we teach them what good blended learning looks like, different ways they can interact and build relationships with their students.” Woodford said. They feel like they’re learning a lot, not only about good teaching strategy, but how to do that in a blended learning environment,” Woodford said.

The current superintendent of Bedford County Public Schools, Dr. Doug Schuch, will not renew his contract when it expires in June 2021. Schuch has served as superintendent since 2009. Schuch announced the news at Thursday nights Bedford County School Board meeting. Read the full transcript from Dr. Schuch:

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. - Bedford County Public Schools has shared the steps it will take a resolve a complaint alleging that the division violated federal civil rights laws. As 10 News previously reported, the Office for Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into an alleged "racially hostile environment" at Jefferson Forest High School. On Monday, the school division shared a copy of a resolution agreement in regard to the OCR complaint. The agreement details the steps that the school and division will take to resolve the complaint, including that OCR may visit the school division and interview staff and students. Bedford County Public Schools released a statement Friday, saying it "firmly believes that it has not violated any federal civil rights laws."

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. - An office within the U.S. Department of Education is opening an investigation into an alleged "racially hostile environment" at Jefferson Forest High School, according to Bedford County Public Schools. The school division released a statement, saying it "firmly believes that it has not violated any federal civil rights laws." The Office for Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of Education notified the school division earlier this year about the investigation, according to Bedford County Public Schools. Bedford County Public Schools did not explicitly mention an incident. Upon receiving the notice, the school division promptly complied with OCRs request for information and records related to the allegations.

BEDFORD, Va. - A gifted field day themed around science. Two hundred gifted children from various Bedford County Public Schools spent the day showing off their intellectual skills at the Sedalia Center. Students taught their peers about a branch of science, a science concept and a contributing scientist. Organizers say the annual event allows parents to meet and share resources, and gives gifted students a chance to meet one another, too. "Gifted students are qualitatively different from other students and so whenever we can that emotional and social support for them, we think that's really important," Anne Barrow, gifted resource teacher with BCPS, said.

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. - Bedford County Public Schools are considering consolidating, renovating or building new elementary schools to address a growing population and aging buildings. Thursday night, the school board was presented with an elementary school study. School board members Susan Kirby and Martin Leamy are opposed"If you consolidate them, you're looking at closing community schools," said school board member Susan Kirby. Bonnie Ellefson's grandkids went through Bedford Schools, and she loves the small-town feel. The district closed Body Camp and Thaxton elementary schools in 2014, which was met with criticism.