Dozens of Albemarle High School students filed out into the school's parking lot Tuesday morning for a short walk-out to protest the end of mask mandates. Tuesday marked the first day that a new state law went into effect that strips local school boards of their authority to set mask policies.

CHRISTIANSBURG - Montgomery County School Board Chairwoman Sue Kass apologized Tuesday night for an incident two weeks ago, when she abruptly left a meeting following an exchange with a parent. Kass, who was elected chairwoman in January and is just starting the third year in her term, read a statement at the start of Tuesday's board meeting.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - A Virginia Beach school board member has been removed from a state educational working group after she suggested that teaching English to students from South America was unsustainable. Victoria Manning made her comments last week following a school board meeting, news outlet reported.

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) - Following the Lynchburg City School Board meeting on Tuesday night, officials announced decided to remove school mask requirements for students and staff members. According to Lynchburg City Schools, Superintendent Dr. Crystal Edwards made a recommendation - which was approved by the school board - to lift mask mandates for all students and staff on school property and school buses.

The Nelson County School Board discussed upcoming capital improvement projects and salary adjustments at its Feb. 24 meeting, in preparation to submit a fiscal year 2023 budget to the board of supervisors for consideration. Chris Toley of Piney Ridge Contracting and Construction provided an update on the high school greenhouse project.

While school officials defended the use of bipolar ionization, experts said there's no convincing evidence the technology is effective.

Arlington Public Schools has suspended a substitute teacher who, during a Spanish class, expressed approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine and urged students to read Russian-run propaganda outlets. The substitute, John Stanton, 65, made the comments during an eighth-grade Spanish lesson on Friday at Swanson Middle School.

Alexandria City Public Schools want to help students of color get into STEM fields, while helping them with the costs of higher education. As part of a program set to launch in 2024, a select group of ninth graders will be able to receive a free associate degree from Northern Virginia Community College that would transfer credits to George Mason University and Virginia Tech.

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Norfolk Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sharon Byrdsong presented the district's projected 2023 operating budget Wednesday. The $376.7 million proposed budget is geared toward attracting and retaining employees. Byrdsong wants to increase the starting salary for new teachers from $47,200 to $49,500, offer five possible signing bonuses for new teachers and an employee recruitment bonus.

FAIRFAX CITY, VA - City of Fairfax is considering a plan to replace the natural grass on the athletic fields adjacent to Katherine Johnson Middle School with synthetic turf. Cathy Salgado, director of the city's Parks & Recreation Department, provided an overview of the project at Monday's City of Fairfax School Board work session.