Rockingham County Republican Committee
Getting Virginia K-12 Education
Back on Track
For Rockingham County School Board Meeting Schedule - Click HERE
To speak at a School Board Meeting, sign up on the list at the door before the meeting starts. The school board generally meets twice a month, except for June, July, and December when it meets once.
News About Educating Our Children, K-12
Earlier Education News 2021 to March 2022
[Cleveland Clinic says there is minimal data on health effects but could include loss of musculoskeletal mass, posture changes, rib fractures, shoulder popping]
Sept 27, 2022, Controversial Parental Name Change Notification Policy Fails, Daily News Record
Sept 27, 2022, Scheikl to Retire From RCPS at the End of the School Year, Daily News Record
Sept 24, 2022, Rockingham County Parental Notification Vote Expected Monday, Daily News Record
Sept 23, 2022, Two City Schools Partially Accredited, All RCPS Schools Accredited, Daily News Record
[Jennifer Norris, Director of Student Activities at the Trinity School admitted to implementing an agenda to make conservatives feel uncomfortable]
Sept 21, 2022, Fake Active Shooter Reports Target Virginia Schools, The Republican Standard
[New policies emphasize parental rights]
Sept 8, 2022, County School Board to Hear Cell Phone, Name Change Policies, Daily News Record
[Video emerged of two candidates laughing at autistic boy singing national anthem]
Sept 1, 2022, No Weapon Found, Shelter in Place Lifted at Blacksburg High School, WSLS
[Anonymous tip led to school shelter in place]
Aug 31, 2022, Youngkin Say Biological Boys Should Not Play Sports With Biological Girls, WJLA ABC 7
Aug 30, 2022, More Funding Likely For County School Resource Officer Program, Daily News Record
[The Florida school board members failed to protect students and mismanaged millions of dollars, report said.]
Aug 24, 2022, Spotsylvania School Board Battle Rages On, The Republican Standard
[Darren Thornton kept his job as a counselor at Glasgow Middle School for 20 months after his arrest]
Aug 22, 2022, Maryland Parents Choose Homeschooling, Call Decline of Public Schools Scary, Fox News
Aug 8, 2022, Back-to-School Blues: Droves of Americans Ditching Public Schools, Daily Signal
July 28, 2022, Harrisonburg City School Board Chair Nick Swayne to Resign, Daily News Record
July 21, 2022, Los Angeles School District Forces Gender Theory Into Classroom, Daily Signal
[Mother did not learn about the incident until one year later]
[Montgomery County to teach Southern Poverty Law Center Social Justice Curriculum]
July 12, 2022, Decision on Proposed Name Change Policy Pushed Back, Daily News Record
July 2, 2022, Parental Policy Vote Likely Won't Occur Until August, Daily News Record
June 30, 2022, Biden's Push for 'Gender-Affirming Care' Betrays Parental Rights, Daily Signal
June 30, 2022, Amelia King Charged With Disorderly Conduct for Threat Against Page County School Board, WHSV
June 30, 2022, Plagiarism AI: Manipulating Educational Outcomes, The Republican Standard
[Part of Fall 2021 Football Season had been cancelled after allegations of harassment and bullying]
June 16, 2022, New Study Highlights Suicide Risk Among Transgender Youth, American Liberty
June 15, 2022, Only Two Book Complaints Filed With City, County Schools, Daily News Record
June 14, 2022, Proposed RCPS Name Change Policy Gets Mixed Reviews, Daily News Record
[Large crowd attended RCPS Board Meeting to express opinion on student sexual orientation name change]
June 7, 2022, Discipline Meltdown in Prince William Public Schools, The Bull Elephant
June 7, 2022, In Movie, Matt Walsh Reveals How Gender Ideology Mutilates Kids, Daily Signal
June 6, 2022, Teachers Explain How They Push 'Gender Lessons' on Children, Daily Signal
Other info related to ADF Case Against Harrisonburg City Schools:
January 14, 2022 Press Release on Harrisonburg Complaint:
https://adflegal.org/blog/virginia-school-district-policy-hides-student-pronoun-use-parents
January 31, 2022 Press Release on Harrisonburg Complaint:
https://adflegal.org/blog/virginia-school-district-policy-hides-student-pronoun-use-parents
Link to Press Release on Case in English:
https://adfmedia.org/case/df-v-harrisonburg-city-public-school-board
Link to Press Release on Case in Spanish: https://adfmedia.org/press-release/padres-y-profesores-demandan-al-distrito-escolar-de-va-por-ocultar-el-malestar-de-los
Link to Case Filing: https://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/DFcomplaint.pdf
.
Link to Copy of Harrisonburg City Schools Non-Public Power Point Training on Gender, Transgender Issues: https://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/HCPS-TransgenderStudentsStaffPresentation.pdf
June 2, 2022, Schools Have The Tools They Need to Address Teacher Shortages, Daily Signal
May 26, 2022, Why Did Police Take So Long to Storm Texas School Massacre?, American Liberty News
May 25, 2022, Loudoun County Schools Report Spike in Racial Slurs, Hate Speech, WTOP
May 25, 2022, State Farm Ends Support for LGBTQ Books For Kids Amid Public Outcry, Daily Signal
May 24, 2022, RCPS To Consider Parental Notification of Student Name Changes, Daily News Record
[Draft of School Board Assn Letter on Masks and Parent Involvement Included Use of Military]
May 23, 2022, Students Protest Alleged Sexual Assault at Broadway High School, Daily News Record
May 16, 2022, 'Pray for Peace' Shirts Still in Play Beyond Mongomery County, Virginia, Roanoke Times
May 13, 2022, Add Homeschooling to List of Things Left Considered Racist, Daily Wire
May 12, 2022, Rockingham County School Board Approves Salary Scale Increases, Daily News Record
May 9, 2022, Anti-Critical Race Theory Candidates Make Big Gains in Texas, Breitbart
May 4, 2022, Youngkin Signs Historical Bipartisan 'Literacy Act" Law, The Republican Standard
May 3, 2022, California Could Lead Charge in Fight Against Woke Education, Daily Signal
[Parents are livid]
Apr 24, 2022, Iowa Educators Admit To Ignoring State's CRT Ban, The Republican Standard
Apr 20, 2022, The Battle for Parental Rights Rages on in Loudoun County, Washington Examiner
Apr 17, 2022, CDC Study: Remote Learning Hurt Kids' Mental Health, The Republican Standard
Let the Parents Decide
The Republican Party believes in sensible, cost-effective policies that respect your family's and our community's values and priorities. The educational environment and practices should be conducive to learning. Parental involvement is associated with successful student achievement and schools.
Our children's futures depend upon their receiving a full education. Our expectation is that our children will receive a full education for the generous funding that the taxpayers have provided for education. The educational achievements and outcomes should be reflective of the community's expectations. Transparency in making school policy, selecting curriculum, setting instructional goals, and providing educational opportunity should be a given.
2022 Virginia Legislative Update on School Bills
During his campaign, Governor Youngkin pledged to promote school safety and give parents more of a voice in educational decisions. Working with the House and Senate, Governor Youngkin has kept these promises by signing the following bills into law:
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SB 656: Will require schools to notify parents when a school assignment includes sexually explicit content and will allow parents to review it and request an alternative assignment. A summary article is here. (A similar bill was previously vetoed by Governor McAuliffe, who later remarked in debate "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.")
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HB 4: Will require schools to report crimes like sexual battery and stalking to law enforcement. This law will reverse the worst parts of a bill that was passed over Republican objections in 2020 when Democrats were in the majority.
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HB741: This was my school safety bill, and will require each school to prepare a detailed floor plan for use by responders in the event of an emergency.
Resources on Education
Misinterpretation of SB1303 Regarding Mandate for Children To Wear Masks in School
Virginia for Education Freedeom (School Choice)
May 25, 2022, Four Steps Every School Can Take to Help Prevent Shootings, Daily Signal
Dec 10, 2021, Most Commonly Spoken Language in the US After English and Spanish, Visual Capitalist
[Mandarin and Cantonese in many states]
Dec 7, 2021, Hundreds of College Professors Blast Woke Math Movement, New York Post
Dec 7, 2021, Here is the Biggest Supreme Court Case No One Is Talking About, Washington Free Beacon
[Justices are expected to rule favorably on school vouchers for religious schools]
Nov 9, 2021, A Healthier, Moral Way to Navigate Modern Dating and Sex Culture, Daily Signal
Oct 29, 2021, How a Mom's Group - Moms for Liberty - Could Shake-Up 2022 Election, Daily Caller
June 9, 2021, Children Protected by 'Reasonable Independence' Laws in Three States, Treehugger
Apr 29, 2021, Expand School Choice and Provide Fiscal Relief to Districts, Hoover Institution
Apr 29, 2021, Don't Let Public Schools Control Students Private Speech, Washington Examiner
Apr 27, 2021, Conclusions: How to Improve Our Schools in the Post-COVID Era, Hoover Institution
Apr 25, 2021, Some Examples of Critical Race Theory in Schools, Washington Free Beacon
Mar 25, 2021, High School Coach Fired For Using Audible Anti-Semitic Football Calls, Yahoo News
[8-1 Ruling Strikes Blow Against Campus Policies Targeting Religious Expression, Chief Justice Roberts was the only dissenter]
Feb 24, 2021, Website Tracks Which Colleges Embrace Training in Critical Race Theory, Daily Signal
Feb 16, 2021, It's Time to Hold School Boards Accountable, Daily Signal
Why America is Free (Why Knowing Our History Matters)
Jan 26, 2021, Inside the 'Diversity Audit' Conducted at a Top US Prep School. Washington Free Beacon
Dec 19, 2020, School Choice Lowers Teenage Suicide: Study, Washington Examiner
2020 Demographic Report on America's 4 Million Teachers, USA Facts
Dec 4, 2020, San Diego Required Anti-Racism Training for Teachers, Washington Free Beacon
Dec 1, 2020, Toward Equitable School Choice, Hoover Education Success Initiative, Hoover Institution
Healthy Buildings Research and Guidance, Harvard T.H. Chan School for Health
Nov 13, 2020, Updated Guidance for Schools and Child Care Programs
Oct 29, 2020, Updated CDC Guidelines for Operating Schools During COVID
Fall 2020, How Family Background Influences Student Achievement, Education Next
Fall 2020, How to Reduce Racial Bias in Grading, Education Next
Fall 2020, High School Exit Exams Are Tough on Crime, Education Next
American Education in 2030: K-12 Task Force Papers, Hoover Institution
Jun 15, 2020, The Future of School Accountability, Hoover Institution
May 28, 2020, Nine Jobs for High School Graduates, Indeed.com
Mar 7, 2020, Top Five Skills Needed When Graduating from High School, Maximum Potential (maxpt,org)
May 3, 2020, Hiring Expectations for Recent College Graduates, The Strategic CFO
Andrew Pollack and Max Eden, Why Meadow Died: The People and Policies that Created the Parkland Shooter and Endanger America's Students, New York: Post Hill Press, 2019. Andrew Pollack's Daughter Meadow was killed by the Parkland, Florida shooter at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. He describes how an avoidable shooting became inevitable when the shooter slipped through the cracks and how the policies pioneered in the Broward County School District are in wide use in other school districts.
Dec 25, 2018, Legislative Committee Releases School Safety Report, Daily News Record
Commentary and Opinion on Education
Dec 2, 2020, Walter Williams: The Tragedy of Black Education is New. Daily Signal