Comments (-1) . UPDATE: The ESSER III survey will be open until September 2023, instead of the original closing date of December 23, 2022. Cole, along with board member Dawn Shelley, was pressing for board Chair Kirk Twigg to schedule a work session and special meeting to address needed capital improvement projects. A special rallying cry on the right from parents who seem to have become energized during the turbulent era of Trumpian politics is the growing call to banish critical race theory, a college-level academic framework examining systemic racism whose name has become a catchall for school districts diversity and equity initiatives and their attempts to rethink the teaching of race in American history. Phelps was nominated by Gillespie and elected by a 43 vote, with previous chair Kirk Twigg and Abuismail joining Phelps and Gillespie. Will college students show up to vote in November? This article was published more than1 year ago. Many accused Taylor of making offensive social media posts, which were cited by one board member who voted "no." Victoria LaCivita, a spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office, confirmed that the complaintas well as one alleging that Twigg misappropriated public funds by paying for board members April Gillespie and Lisa Phelps to attend a conference with ties to a conservative political action committee in Marchhas been received by the office. You can use this area for legal statements, copyright information, a mission statement, etc. STAND - Superintendent's Student Advisory Committee, Division Curriculum & Instruction Information, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Handbook, Code of Conduct, Pathways, Athletics & More, High School Student Resources for College, Parent/Student Handbook, Code of Student Conduct, Course Pathways, Athletics & More, SCPS Teacher Awarded National Honor in Cybersecurity Education, Spotsylvania County Public Schools Recognized as a 2021 America's Best Midsize Employer, SCPS Ranked on Forbes 2021 America's Best Employers Listing, On January 27, 2022, the Virginia Board of Education received for first review the proposed revisions to the 2015 Physical Education Standards of Learning (SOL). Victoria LaCivita, a spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office, confirmed that the complaintas well as one alleging that Twigg misappropriated public funds by paying for board members April Gillespie and Lisa Phelps to attend a conference with ties to a conservative political action committee in Marchhas been received by the office. The Virginia Board of Education would still need to approve or certify Taylor for consideration due to the lack of specific qualifications he has for the superintendent role. He also wants to bring the ideas of the people to the table and implement their ideas, he said, to help realize his vision in which parents are hands-on in every aspect of the childs education from helping with homework at home to deciding what gets taught in the classroom. This is an inclement weather update. Twigg forged a contract and if people up here are defending him, then theyre just as guilty as he is.. Harris said his department will continue to staff a school resource officer at all 31 county schools. After the break, board member Rabih Abuismail asked Twigg to waive the five-person limit per subject. These schools join Spotswood ES, which currently holds a Purple Star designation. Please subscribe to keep reading. (Video: Jorge Ribas/The Washington Post), Anti-mask protesters who forced an early end to a Granite school board meeting in Salt Lake County, Utah, in May are now facing criminal charges. The Virginia Board of Education is hosting two virtual public hearings for the proposed Driver Education and Physical Education Standards of Learning Tuesday, February 8, 2022 and Wednesday, February 16, 2022. Education Department leaders involved in Spotsylvania schools superintendent search Skip to main contentSkip to main content Register for more free articles. At a special meeting Tuesday, the Stafford School Board approved a $442 million operating budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Good luck, Ms. Parker! At a county school board meeting Monday night, Baker shared the . 2016. Four board members who describe themselves as advocates of parents rights drove the decision, said Baron Braswell, a long-serving Spotsylvania board member who stepped down last year but has kept in touch with his former peers. Parents want to know how and why someone who is not an educator made it through the screening process. spotsylvania County school board. Attendees take their seats ahead of a contentious Spotsylvania County School Board meeting. The meeting stretched into the early hours of Tuesday morning, with public comments lasting for almost two hours. Schools will open two hours late. Although parents have long served on school boards, this crop of activists is campaigning to restructure American public education so that parents, whether or not they come from an educational background, can serve as final arbiters for a wide range of issues, from whether masks should be optional to what books are available in childrens libraries. Spotsylvania County Public Schools 8020 River Stone Drive Fredericksburg, VA 22407 Phone: 540-834-2500 webmaster@spotsylvania.k12.va.us Quick Links School Board Meeting Live Streaming It simply isnt the case. The Spotsylvania County School Board directed staff to remove books with sexually explicit material from libraries after a parent raised concerns about books available through a schools digital library app at Mondays meeting. Everyone, cross your fingers for Thornburg MS teacher Ms. Fabiana Parker tonight! Division staff are proposing to spend $1 million on transportation for special education students, $1.8 million to address a rise in utility costs and $3.1 million on renovations to Spotsylvania Middle School. amsva.tv. For more information, go to: https://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/Page/1967. You can use this area for legal statements, copyright information, a mission statement, etc. Twigg asked that the microphone be cut off on several people who started to express concerns about the boards appointment of Mark Taylor as superintendent, stating that the limit on speakers who could address that topic had been reached. Several people spoke in favor of Taylor Thursday, including three Spotsylvania School Board members who said Taylor is the victim of a orchestrated smear campaign. We hope to hear answers to the following questions. 2017. Melissa Floyd, the parent of a 6th grade and a 9th grade Spotsylvania County Public Schools student said her kids have lots of years left in the school district. Taylor has experience as a. Board member Nicole Cole asked how staff know these positions were unadvertised and unfilled and whether they are included in the current number of vacant positions or are in addition. The. Thank you Blue Bell! I think the parents that were motivated to run for office felt that their point of view about what they wanted to see in education was not being elevated, Chu said, pointing especially to arguments about the citys gifted and talented programs. The approved changes reduce the amount of time given to individuals for public comments from five to three minutes; ensure that only the board chair can add old or new business to the agenda before the meeting; and remove School Board members from the definition of school personnel who are subject to the divisions prohibition against harassment and retaliation. Attendees take their seats ahead of a contentious Spotsylvania County School Board meeting. A Fredericksburg woman who bashed her former roommate in the head with a softball bat last year pleaded guilty to a felony charge Wednesday. The board did approve three action items Monday: revisions to the divisions policy regarding restraint and seclusion that prohibit mechanical and prone restraint; a new policy that requires student-athletes and their parents be given information about symptoms that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest; and a budget amendment that would use $2.3 million in bonus funding from the state and $1.8 million from school division pandemic relief funds to provide a $1,000 bonus to all full-time, standards-of-quality funded instructional and support positions. In Texass Houston Independent School District, for example, Kendall Baker a pastor supported by Scarboroughs group, Recover America attended his first-ever board meeting as a member last week. The bonuses will be paid in October to all eligible staff who receive a paycheck on Sept. 30. Both will go on to compete at the Regional Spelling Bee for a shot at competing at Nationals. Attendees take their seats ahead of a contentious Spotsylvania County School Board meeting. Cole, along with board member Dawn Shelley, was pressing for board Chair Kirk Twigg to schedule a work session and special meeting to address needed capital improvement projects. And Snead knew nothing about school board elections: A stay-at-home mother for the past 15 years, with some experience in hotel management before that, she had no political or activism experience. Nine months after becoming the first major U.S. historic site to be led by descendants of those once enslaved there, Montpelier is freshly opt, During Mondays bond hearing, it was revealed Snead no longer has visitation rights with her son, a student at Fishburne Military School in Wa. Baker said he ran for school board to represent conservative mothers and fathers whose voices were being silenced as it relates to the school board, especially around the topics of mask mandates and critical race theory. The Spotsylvania School Board will be considering a Prepackaged Food Donation policy at their February 13th meeting. The board did approve three action items Monday: revisions to the divisions policy regarding restraint and seclusion that prohibit mechanical and prone restraint; a new policy that requires student-athletes and their parents be given information about symptoms that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest; and a budget amendment that would use $2.3 million in bonus funding from the state and $1.8 million from school division pandemic relief funds to provide a $1,000 bonus to all full-time, standards-of-quality funded instructional and support positions. Public Comment Period: Proposed 2022 Physical Education SOL. Spotsylvania County schools will present the school budget at the Board of Supervisor's meeting tonight at 6pm. News4's Derrick Ward has more on the tense meeting and scorching criticism of the new chair, Kirk Twigg. All rights reserved. To enter Kindergarten next fall, a child must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2022. Our school board has generously approved Friday, March 10th as a day off for all teachers, students, and staff. At this years inaugural board meeting, on Jan. 13, one of the first things Holbrook said he did was vote for a new policy extending public comment to 40 minutes and allowing four minutes of speaking time per person. Pre-Registration for 2022-2023 School Year is Now Open. You can cancel at any time. Don't forget! What is critical race theory? Spotsylvania County Public Schools Recognized as a 2021 America's Best Midsize Employer. Public comments regarding thePhysical Education SOL will be received atvdoe.stem@doe.virginia.govfromFebruary 11-March 11. Monday's meeting of the Spotsylvania School Board ended after five hours over the objections of three members, and without the board taking up any new or unfinished business. Spotsylvania County Public Schools8020 River Stone DriveFredericksburg, VA 22407Phone: 540-834-2500webmaster@spotsylvania.k12.va.us. 2016. Deborah Alexander, one of those who won, also attributed her victory in part to a widespread sentiment among parents that theyd been excluded from important educational decisions. burning books. The board probably violated Virginia open meetings law, and it failed to identify an interim superintendent. Live streaming available during active meetings. 5 months ago, Spotsylvania County Public Schools. In an interview with The Post in November, a few weeks before he decided to leave his job, Baker said he felt as though he were under attack from a group of people, many of them parents, who were speaking regularly at board meetings to advance what seemed to be a national political movement to disrupt education. Together, we prepare our students for their future. Head over to Longhorn Steakhouse Southpoint this Saturday, September 24th between 9am and 1pm for a car wash to help our CHS Choir make it to Universal Studios this January! Some candidates have been recruited top-down by national groups like Moms for Liberty, but much of the activism is being led at the local level by smaller networks of angry parents. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). A total of 55 library books have been challenged in Spotsylvania schools since May 2022, according to information provided by the school divis, The Spotsylvania School Board on Wednesday approved a $461 million operating and capital improvement budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins. SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. - Anger erupted at a Spotsylvania County School Board meeting with divisions on the board and community on full display Monday. On July 9, School Board Chair Kirk Twigg wrote former Culpeper councilman Jon . All rights reserved, Julie Carey, Northern Virginia Bureau Chief, He's Got No Experience': Spotsylvania Parents Raise Questions on Superintendent Candidate, Spotsylvania School Board Appoints Chair Who Backed Burning Books, Fires Superintendent, Superintendent of Spotsylvania County Public Schools Resigns, Eagles Wide Receiver Zach Pascal Robbed at Gunpoint in Maryland, College Park Mayor Arrested on 56 Counts of Possession, Distribution of Child Pornography, Travesty for Statehood': DC Leaders Fire Back at Congress, Biden Over Crime Bill. All Spotsylvania County Public Schools will operate on a 2-hour delay on Thursday, December 15. Comments (-1) . Forrest said he did not have an explanation and would need to get a response. Abuismail also did not offer an explanation. "The connection with our school board chair is really worrisome," Floyd said. To enter Kindergarten next fall, a child must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2023. One of the items was a $4,500 monthly stipend, on top of his principals salary, for him to assume the role of interim.. Peter Cihelka / The Free Lance-Star. You have permission to edit this article. The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning for a proposed techno campus at Tuesday nights meeting. "Im all about the kids, and when I look at this national disgrace that we see from some of the school board members, it'sjust gut-wrenching to me, to be perfectly honest with you," he said. You have permission to edit this article. Attention rising 7th & 12th graders! Taylor and his wife are directors of Twigg's nonprofit corporation called Emerging Stars. Fredericksburg Area Regional Food Bank will be there with food donations. "I guess we live in a world now that our public schools would rather have kids read about gay pornography than Christ. Click for more details: 22 days ago, Spotsylvania County Public Schools. If approved, the school board will then vote on a contract. "It makes us scared for our kids' future. I cannot comment further as it is an ongoing investigation, LaCivita said in an email Tuesday. They also gave free ice cream away to every student and staff member at lunch. The parent rights movement, which began in earnest about half a year ago, is showing no signs of abating as parents who won their school board races take office in the new year and start proposing changes while still others begin plotting future runs. More information: 4 months ago, Spotsylvania County Public Schools. The criteria for pulling books from circulation this week is sexually explicit, but the board plans to refine how material is determined to be objectionable for a further review of library holdings. The Virginia Board of Education is hosting two virtual public hearings for the proposed Driver Education and Physical Education Standards of Learning Tuesday, February 8, 2022 and Wednesday, February 16, 2022. In Virginia, Spotsylvania County schools superintendent S. Scott Baker announced he would be retiring at the end of the year. . Please subscribe to keep reading. Superintendent Dr. S. Scott Baker said he has faith in the librarians. Rock Out Knock Out Homelessness is THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY at the Southpoint Walmart. Meanwhile, parents in other places are looking ahead to the next school board elections. Discord in San Francisco schools, on race and reopening, looms large.