BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - The sound of a gavel on each side of the room kicked off the joint meeting between the Bedford County Board of Supervisors and Bedford County School Board. The opening discussion was on current enrollment and the trends seen at Bedford County Public Schools.

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - It is no secret that it is important to be inclusive, and students and staff at Nansemond Parkway Elementary School in Suffolk take inclusivity seriously. In Kari Maskelony's fourth grade classroom, students are learning about lunch. "So, today for lunch, guys, it's pizza," Maskelony said.

After-school clubs, activities and athletic practices can resume Tuesday afternoon for Stafford High School students, but scheduled games with other schools are still canceled to minimize the spread of flu. Approximately 1,000 students and staff became sick with influenza A and possibly a separate gastrointestinal illness last week.

A new national report shows fourth and eighth graders fell behind in reading.Scores also dropped here in Virginia, according to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Despite outreach in the last school year that brought back a few thousand students who left Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) during the pandemic, the school system's enrollment in September still was down nearly 9,000 pupils from pre-COVID times. According to FCPS data, the school system kicked off the fall semester with 180,109 students.

HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY)- After 55 years of driving a school bus, Linda Mason-Brooke says she would drive for another 55 years if she could. "I just love what I do. And when you love what you do, you just keep doing it and enjoy it," she said.

BERRYVILLE - Clarke County employees will have some extra money going into their wallets as Christmas approaches. Full-time employees will get a one-time, $1,000 net pay bonus in mid-December. Qualifying part-time employees will get a net bonus of $500. The bonuses were approved by the Clarke County Board of Supervisors in a unanimous vote during their recent monthly meeting.

Authorities across Hampton Roads were dealing with another round of school bomb threats Tuesday. I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth received a bomb threat Tuesday morning and dismissed students from school at 10:45 a.m. The district received bomb threats to two of its high schools Monday, and one on Friday, also leading to early dismissal both days.

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The public comment period on Gov. Glenn Youngkin's proposed transgender policy for schools is just days away from ending. On Sunday, people demonstrated against the proposal at the Capitol Bell Tower. Those protestors are saying that the policy would severely limit transgender students' rights.

Officials in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. decried a pandemic-fueled drop in students' performance on major national assessments Monday, with some promising to devote money and time to fund tutoring programs that will help children catch up to where they should be. Fast, informative and written just for locals.