The win offers a glimmer of hope for members of the Henrico Education Association, whose members have been working to set the stage for their push for a seat at the negotiation table.

Richmond Public Schools teachers breathed a sigh of relief then filled the room with cheers when the Richmond School Board voted 8-1 this week to approve collective bargaining. The move made RPS staff the first in the state to gain collective bargaining rights since its prohibition in 1977 by the Virginia Supreme Court.

Many of Virginia's school board meetings have become more fractious in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ongoing tensions at King William County Public School Board meetings over wearing masks have resulted in no trespassing notices being issued against two members of the public, banning them from school property.

VERONA - As Timothy Simmons prepares to take a seat on the Augusta County School Board next month, he continues to talk with families about their concerns with the school division. But he is bringing with him a controversial concept - parents editing out public school content or policies they don't like, including ones that have benefited minority communities like LGBTQ+ students.

Disability rights organizations and families have reached a settlement with Fairfax County Public Schools over school staff's use of physical restraint and seclusion on students in special education.

P&HCC President Greg Hodges presented a $5,000 check for the Henry County Schools Career Academy to the Henry County School Board at its Thursday night meeting. P&HCC was one of four institutions in the nation chosen to present the money to a construction craft training program it chooses as the result of winning a pledge drawing during Careers in Construction Month, a press release issued the next day stated.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Later this month, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) administrators plan to announce whether or not six books under review will stay in the system's libraries and curriculum. The books in question are part of a firestorm in school districts across the country and have been the subject of intense, sometimes angry debate in Virginia Beach school board meetings.

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Suffolk Public Schools is reinforcing safety when it comes to how students get back and forth to school. Between bus driver vacancies and getting students to school in a timely manner, some children have been sitting three-to-a-seat to prevent them from having to wait for the bus.

With one major exception - student-athletes - Arlington Public Schools is not, and likely will not be, keeping tabs on the COVID-vaccination status of students. "We don't know the names" of those who have been vaccinated, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members on Dec. 2.

The leaders of Fight for Schools, the group leading the removal effort against School Board members, and Loudoun4All, the group formed in response to escalating social tension in the county, are jointly calling for the public to refrain from threatening and vitriolic behavior.