57º

INSIDER

SCHOOLS

Roanoke Valley Schools, Teachers, and Students Earn Top Awards for Teen-Related Traffic Crash and Fatality Prevention Efforts

The Liberty and Jefferson Forest high school YOVASO clubs were among the 15 award winners recognized during the annual Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety (YOVASO) Awards Banquet held Saturday night, July 16, at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Va. A Liberty High School teacher was also recognized, as well as two students from Jefferson Forest High School. From Roanoke Co., Northside High School was recognized, as well as a Life Counselor at the school.

Deal reached to get California children back in classrooms

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The majority of California's 6.1 million public school students could be back in the classroom by April under new legislation announced Monday by Gov. Most students in the nation's most populous state have been learning from home for the past year during the pandemic. Instead, the state would set aside $2 billion to pay districts that get select groups of students into classrooms by the end of the month. Crucially, the legislation does not require districts to have an agreement with teachers' unions on a plan for in-person instruction. Districts that fail to have children back in classrooms before May 15 won’t get any money.

Parents, school leaders react to legislation requiring full-time, in-person option

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Virginia Senate voted 36-3 Thursday, approving legislation that requires schools to provide full-time, in-person instruction as the coronavirus pandemic continues. The bill includes exceptions, such as reverting to virtual learning if a school has high levels of coronavirus transmission. Andrew Glover, the founder of the ‘Conservative Parents of Lynchburg’ group, has supported the idea of full-time, in-person instruction. “We need the extra time to get vaccinations offered to any school employee who wants them. We need the opportunity to plan for getting more students back in the building and what that would look like.”

New virtual academy provides homework help, social support

ROANOKE, Va. – A new virtual academy is helping Roanoke City students with their schoolwork and letting their parents get back to work. Youth Enrichment Services of Southwest Virginia, also called YES, launched during the pandemic thanks to CARES Act funding. It provides academic support for K-6th graders at four sites in the city, including at three public housing properties. That makes it easier for families without transportation to have access to the service. CEO Nicole Ross said that kids have had to deal with a lot of changes this past year and these centers provide children with the academic and social support they need.

How local schools are approaching returning more students to the classroom

Teachers across Virginia are getting COVID-19 vaccines in the hopes of getting more students back in the classroom. One person sick is too many people sick for me.”AdMeanwhile, others like Salem City Schools have a hybrid approach. “I think it makes sense that local health departments have some discretion so they can tailor their recommendations to their area but it does add to the difficulty when one health district’s doing one thing and one health district’s doing another thing,” said Seibert. In fact, we were basically where we were last year.”Talley says Martinsville City Schools is planning to bring pre-k, kindergarten, English learners and special needs students back by March 8. We have a list of what local schools are doing with the new guidance to get kids back in the classroom here.