About a month after his 2010 inauguration as Virginia's first Republican governor in eight years, Bob McDonnell held a press conference. He gathered students, lawmakers and representatives from Virginia colleges and universities to make good on a campaign promise: offering "options and innovation for all Virginia schoolchildren," according to a press release from the event.

Thursday was the first day in almost two school years that students in Rockingham County Public Schools could choose to go maskless. But most decided to still don their masks among the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Superintendent Oskar Scheikl said. Scheikl checked in with most principals on Thursday about any incidents on the first day of this new policy.

Masks will be recommended but not required in Charlottesville and Albemarle school divisions starting March 1, when a new state law signed Wednesday goes into effect. Superintendents for both school divisions emailed students, families and staff about the new law Wednesday evening. Masks will still be required on school buses in line with a federal requirement.

Opponents say charter school push could lead to segregation; Part IV of 10 On Your Side's "State of Education" series RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) - "School choice": Two simple words that carry a lot of weight in Gov. Glenn Youngkin's agenda. Youngkin is pushing to offer parents more choices for public education.

Lynchburg City Schools administration gave members of the community the first real look at some of its requests for the upcoming fiscal year 2023 budget during its work session this week. The plan, as laid out in a presentation by Superintendent Crystal Edwards, calls for a raise for all staff, increase in pay for all substitutes and additional staff positions to cover needs in all three levels of schooling.

A Virginia high school apologized for placing a sign reading "Stuff Some Adults Don't Want You to Read" among a display of books in its library as a number of schools and communities have debated the teaching or banning of books that address subjects such as sexual orientation and race.

School security - a topic of renewed urgency following the discovery of handguns inside the high school two weeks ago - will be a priority addressed in the upcoming school budget, the Halifax County School Board said Monday. The School Board has added $180,000 to the preliminary school budget to hire two officers to monitor school buildings, although yet to [...]

The Arlington County, Virginia, school system said in a presentation posted ahead of Thursday's school board meeting that it plans to follow a new state law that enables parents to choose whether to have their kids wear masks in school.

CHRISTIANSBURG - Montgomery County Public Schools will set aside most of the money it will get on the sale of its old school bus maintenance property for future capital projects. The decision was formalized by a 6-0 school board vote this past week.

Hanover-Caroline Soil and Water Conservation District recently named Robin Didlake as the District Environmental Education Teacher of the Year. The agency is delighted to announce she has also been selected as one of two Environmental Education Teachers of the Year for Virginia. Didlake has been a Virginia teacher for 32 years.