Prince William County Public Schools

School Board Meeting of January 19, 2022

View the agenda on the Electronic School Board webpage.
Watch the School Board meeting on PWCS-TV.

The School Board Approved:

• Delegating to the Superintendent the authority to enter into such non-disclosure agreements as may be necessary to further the interests of the School Division;
• Receiving recommended modifications/updates to Policy 123 (PDF), "Duties of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk";
• March 2022 as "Brain Injury Awareness Month (PDF)";
• Granting Delorean Power LLC an exclusive option to purchase (PDF) a vacant, remaining portion of the Gainesville High School land, totaling approximately 3.06 acres at 13149 University Boulevard, subject to required declaration of excess and retention of proceeds determinations. Further, the Chairman At-Large and Clerk are authorized to sign any necessary documents, subject to approval as to form only by the Division Counsel;
• The January 12, 2022 CIP Budget Work Session minutes (PDF); and
• The January 12, 2022 School Board meeting minutes (PDF).

Citizens addressed the School Board on the following topics:

• The Strategic Plan
• Policies and regulations
• Health mitigation measures

Student Representative Matters:

• Congratulations to PWCS seniors who completed college application processes
• Health mitigation measures
• Inclement weather procedures
• Later school start times
• Dress code

Superintendent's Time:

• On Monday, I was pleased to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by watching the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Oratorical Competition and Program, hosted by the Prince William County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. The six PWCS student finalists competed virtually before a panel of judges and I was inspired and impressed by our amazing young leaders.
• Additionally, I want to thank our staff who worked hard on Monday to ensure we were able to open our schools on time yesterday. Our facility, custodial, and transportation staff worked diligently on Monday to prepare our schools and buses.
• Due to tomorrow's weather uncertainty during the morning commute hours, we will be implementing a Code Orange. A reminder, that on Code Orange days, students must connect with their teachers during office hours and should be using the day to access instruction asynchronously.
• During this school year, I have often shared my desire to provide in-person instruction as safely as possible. We know in-person learning is the most effective for our students. As we continue to face the challenges of the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, it is imperative that our schools continue to use a multi-layered mitigation strategy to reduce the impact of the virus on our students and their families, our staff members, and our visitors.
• This past weekend, Governor Glenn Youngkin shared a series of executive orders, including future changes to the guidance on mask requirements in our schools. It is our understanding that the Virginia Department of Education will also be issuing revised guidance as well.
• We all share a desire to return to a sense of normalcy as soon as possible and we remain committed to doing so in a safe and thoughtful manner with the health of our students and staff as our priority.
• When considering a change to our mitigation strategies, it is important that we keep in mind the possible impact that those changes may have on our ability to continue in-person instruction. As stated earlier this week, we are maintaining our current mitigation strategy including universal masking. This is especially important during the surge of the Omicron virus. If any changes are made, we will notify our community as soon as possible.
• By the end of this week, we plan to communicate updates to our quarantine procedures based on revised guidance from local, state, and national health officials. Our new procedures will help decrease the amount of time our students miss in-person instruction due to exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Please watch our website and your inbox for these new updates related to quarantine guidance.
• As a reminder, the deadline for applying to most specialty programs is February 1. These programs provide excellent opportunities for students in elementary, middle, and high school to explore a wide variety of special programs in our schools. These specialty programs give students the chance to investigate careers ranging from building trades to advanced computer science. Be sure to visit our website for more information.
• Lastly, next week is the final week of the semester, next Friday the 28th is a teacher workday. I encourage all students and families to review grades and student progress via ParentVUE or StudentVUE. Next month we will share an update with the School Board on the overall academic progress to date this school year.
• Mr. Chairman, this concludes Superintendent'