Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin on Thursday named Jillian Balow, Wyoming's superintendent of public instruction, to hold the same role in his administration. Balow, who spent 10 years as a teacher, is stepping down from the elected post in Wyoming, where she is in her second term leading the state's schools.

HOPEWELL, Va. (WWBT) - The Hopewell School district is inviting everyone to attend an in-person town hall meeting on safety and security. School leaders want to work with families to come up with solutions to keep children safe while at school. The meeting is happening Thursday evening from 5:30 p.m.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Schools all across Virginia Beach are seeing high numbers of absent teachers, with many quarantining or isolating after being exposed to COVID-19. The Virginia Beach School Board says the high number of absences is the school system's biggest obstacle in its commitment to keeping schools fully open.

Loudoun County Public Schools updated its quarantine guidance in an effort to streamline its contact tracing process. As of Tuesday, the Northern Virginia school district requires students identified as a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case to quarantine for five days.

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. - Pittsylvania County Public Schools is offering meal distribution after the district moved to remote learning. All students aged 2-18 are eligible for meals. Those up to 21 years old with a disability are also eligible. Meals are being prepared and packaged by the Pulaski County Public Schools Nutrition Program Staff members and will be distributed Thursday, Jan.

Dr. Scott S. Brabrand, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, has been named as the new executive director of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents. Brabrand, who manages the 12th largest school division in the country with about 180,000 students, will complete five years as Fairfax's superintendent before he begins his leadership of the state association in July, according to a news release Thursday.

LYNCHBURG, Va. - A lot of students aren't even back two full weeks from winter break, and they're already seeing another outbreak - a record spike in COVID-19 cases forcing school districts to once again pivot. Both Lynchburg City Schools and Pulaski County have schools reverting to online lessons.

Troy Andersen, the Glouces-ter Point district representative to the Gloucester County School Board, was elected to serve as the board's 2022 chairman at Tuesday night's reorganizational meeting, which was held in the T.C. Walker Education Center Auditorium. Andersen, Darren Post and Kellie Lockerby were each nominated to serve as chair.

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - Henrico County Public Schools is now accepting nominations for its 2022 REB Award for Teaching Excellence. HCPS says the awards provide a tangible, public way to recognize outstanding instructors in the county and give them the means to continue growing.

The Suffolk School Board plans to review the district's COVID metrics on Thursday. SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - COVID-19 outbreaks in several elementary schools in Suffolk has forced them to transition to virtual learning next week. For the school week of Jan. 17-21, Kilby Shores Elementary, Mack Benn, Jr.