Friday, September 7, 2012
Fairfax County School Board to discuss issue further at Monday work session, will vote Sept. 20
Saying they felt they had not yet had a "full, robust" discussion on the makeup of a committee charged with reviewing the system's discipline policies, Fairfax County School Board members delayed a vote Thursday that would have established the 29-member group, pushing discussion to a Monday work session and a final vote to later this month. Though the creation of the committee — the latest of several changes the board has made to its discipline policies during the past year-and-a-half — has been on the table since July, board chairman Ilryong Moon (At-large) said perhaps the board had "not paid [the committee] the close attention it needed to have," particularly with the "number of amendments just proposed in the last few days." Along with…
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Twenty-nine appointees will recommend changes to student handbook
The Fairfax County School Board is scheduled to vote Thursday night to establish a special committee charged with reviewing and recommending changes to the system's Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) manual, continuing a broader reform of its disciplinary process that began nearly two years ago. The 29-person committee — whose members will range from citizens and judicial representatives to administrators and students — will be charged with slimming the 44-page document, making it easier to understand and ensuring it reflects the "community's values, School Board policies and Virginia laws," according to school board documents posted in advance of the meeting. It will deliver its recommendations to the board by March 2013, …
Friday, June 8, 2012
School board approves special committee to launch study of issue and others, present recommendations next year
The Fairfax County School Board made several adjustments Thursday night to its Students Rights and Responsibilities handbook, adding synthetic marijuana to the list of substances that result in a five-day suspension and mandating principals immediately notify police after alcohol, assault, firearm, bomb threat and certain drug violations. But a discussion around whether administrators are required to notify parents at the beginning of a process that could result in a student's suspension or recommendation for expulsion — one of the driving issues behind a push for reform a year-and-a-half ago — was put on hold, a decision praised by some who wanted to "take a step back" for a broader discussion about the board's values but criticized by …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
A look at some Virginia General Assembly highlights with a Reston connection.
A bill co-sponsored by Del. Ken Plum (D-36) that would make fox and coyote penning a misdemeanor was tabled in committee last week, but the Virginia Senate will vote on a similar bill on Thursday. Plum was a co-sponsor of HB695. He said the issue was brought to his attention by several Reston-based members of The Humane Society. Fox pens are fenced enclosures where dogs are released in competitions to chase down and torment captive foxes, often killing them. In just three years, nearly 4,000 foxes were subjected to these events, says the Humane Society of the United States. Plum says the Senate version (SB202), sponsored by Sen. David Marsden (D-37), has a good chance of passing. The Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources…
Janet
10:57 am on Saturday, September 8, 2012
John and Catherine - thank you for your insights. Democracy, representation and better lives for our children is worth the time. Many thanks to the volunteers who continue to seek a voice for all our citizens and children. Far too much taxpayer's money meant for education is tied up by the continual line-in-the-sand attitudes and actions by the Supervisor's Office and the Board Chair. Far too … more ›