Prince William County Public Schools

School Board Meeting of April 21, 2021

View the agenda on the Electronic School Board webpage.

Watch the School Board meeting on PWCS-TV.

The School Board Approved:

• The 2021-22 Perkins Local Plan and Budget (PDF) for Career and Technical Education; and
• The School Board meeting minutes for April 7, 2021.

Student Matters:

• Diversity and Inclusion Committee meeting
• Graduation dates
• Information on final exams

Superintendent's Time:

• I appreciate the opportunity to update the School Board, staff members, parents, students, and community members on the important work occurring during this pandemic.
• In an effort to provide an equitable education to all of our students, PWCS is offering a variety of academic and enrichment programs for students at all grade levels this summer. All summer school program students will participate in-person, five days a week. A virtual option is available for most academic programs. Families of kindergarten through eighth-grade students will be contacted by their schools directly about offerings and qualifications for summer school. High school students should speak with their school counselors about options for enrichment and earning credit over the summer. All kindergarten through 12th grade academic programs offer tuition assistance. Contact your child's school for further information. Look for additional information from your child's school regarding school-based opportunities for summer learning and enrichment. For more information, visit the Summer School webpage at www.pwcs.edu.
• Congratulations to Saahas Gowda , a junior at Battlefield High School, for winning first place at the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Championship, an annual competition coordinated by the Washington-Arlington Catholic Forensics League. He debated both sides of the topic "Resolved: The United States ought to guarantee universal childcare," and earned his champion title competing against the top debaters in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. It is great to see that, even during a pandemic, our students continue to participate in meaningful activities.
• The pandemic did not stop the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair from being held this year. Congratulations to the following first-place winners: Tony Bright, Hamza Lateef, and Gabriel Ralston, all from Charles J. Colgan, Sr. High School, earned first place in the biomedical and health sciences category. Vongdara De Lopez from Forest Park High School, Jayson De La Vega from Osbourn Park High School, and Trevor White from Battlefield High School, who all also attend the Governors School @ Innovation Park, earned first place in the embedded systems category. Naman Agarwal , a student at Patriot High School, earned first place in the plant sciences category. To see the full list of honors earned by our students, go to www.pwcs.edu.
• As mentioned during the last School Board meeting, this month PWCS has been partnering with Novant UVA and the Prince William Health District to support the effort to vaccinate our students 16 years and older. This past weekend, an additional 2,000 vaccines were offered to our students. We appreciate the partnerships that have provided us the opportunities to vaccinate our staff and students during the pandemic. We will continue to communicate opportunities for vaccinations into the future.
• Because of the pandemic, Virginia Code and authority granted by the General Assembly has permitted our School Board agenda topics to be limited. Because of this limitation, we have temporarily suspended Board recognition and approval of many proclamations honoring various observances. However, I do think it is important to mention these observances. Today is Administrative Professionals' Day, and I appreciate the many administrative professionals across our school Division who provide exceptional customer service to our staff, students, parents, and community. This week is also Earth Week, and our outstanding staff in the Energy and Sustainability Office have put together several suggested activities for our students to participate to celebrate our Earth. April is also month of the Military Child, and I know many of our school employees are wearing purple to recognize our military-connected students. I would also like to mention that Dr. Deborah Ransom, supervisor of Elementary Counseling and Related Services, who oversees our support for military children, is retiring at the end of this school year. We thank Dr. Ransom for here 14 years of service to PWCS. Congratulations!
• Advancing your educational knowledge does not end during a pandemic. I would like to congratulate our new superintendent, LaTanya McDade, on earning her doctorate degree earlier this month. Jarcelyn Hart, associate superintendent for Western Elementary Schools, also completed studies for her doctorate. Congratulations Dr. McDade and Dr. Hart.
• To close, I would like to share with you an amazing video produced by the Office of Communications Services featuring the new greenhouse at Brentsville District High School. Check out the video for more information.
• Thank you and stay safe and healthy.