
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
Education News 2021 to March 2022
Education News April to December 2022
[Despite 2017 settlement with USDOJ umbers of children going to ER increasing]
Nov 17, 2023, Portland OR Teachers Conference Lecture Declares Math Tool of Oppression, Daily Signal
Nov 16, 2023, Saturn is a New App for High School Students - Here's Why Educators Are Concerned, Education Week [Saturn is a time management app]
Nov 15, 2023, Loudoun Co. Superintendent Defends District's Response to Student Overdoses, WTOP
Nov 10, 2023, Conservatives Lose Steam in School Board Races, Wall Street Journal
Nov 10, 2023, What Are Dozens of Principals Leaving Fairfax Co. Schools?, WTOP
Nov 9, 2023, Denver CO Voters Send Resounding Message to DPS School Board, Denver Post
[Union-backed candidates were rejected]
[W.T. Woodson was longest serving Supt. but opposed desegregation, changing to Carter G. Woodson]
Nov 8, 2023, Where Are All the Missing Students?, The Atlantic
Nov 8, 2023, School Board Candidates Underwhelm in Minnesota, Minnesota Reformer
[Fewer than half of school board levies passed - lowest since 2006, conservatives were successful in state's largest school district]
Nov 8, 2023, Popular Health Curriculum Reportedly Creates 'Condom Hunt' Lesson, Daily Caller
Nov 8, 2023, Does Your State Use Weak Teacher Reading Tests? New Study Says Most Do, The 74
[Natl Council on Teacher Quality says most elementeary teacher reading tests are weak]
Nov 8, 2023, How Democrats Flipped Central Bucks School District in PA, WHYY PBS
Oct 27, 2023, Fairfax School Board Candidate Disqualified Removed From Ballot, The Washington Post
[Democratic-Endorsed Candidate Marcia St. John-Cunning Removed for address error on candidacy form]
Oct 23, 2023, New Research Finds a Crucial Factor in Reducing Chronic Absenteeism, Education Week
[Schools with strong ties to parents were more likely to reduce chronic absenteeism]
Oct 22, 2023, Virginia Beach School Board Adopts Youngkin's Model Policies, The Republican Standard
Oct 16, 2023, Trans Access to Girls Restrooms and Other Related Gender Identity Claims Fails in Federal Court, Daily Signal
Oct 11, 2023, Multiple Virginia School Districts Targeted With Hoax Bomb Threats, Virginia Mercury
Oct 10, 2023, New Jersey Librarian Shares a Trick for Librarians Fighting Censorship, The Mary Sue
[The Librarian urges writing of resumes and reviews of challenged books to fight censorship. This is also a good method for parents and community leaders to use to inform about offensive and inappropriate content. The more reviews the better.]
Oct 6, 2023, Fairfax Coach Arrested for Embezzling Money From Event Police Say, WJLA
[Four evidence-based considerations for closing discipline disparities]
[Instead of focusing on low reading scores and students acquiring reading skills, major news outlets are defending sexually oriented reading materials in schools]
[No weapon found, police believe student who made report misheard that there was a weapon]
[She was performing pornography on her website to supplement her income]
Sept 29, 2023, Video: Trans Male Student Brutally Beats Girl at Oregon Middle School, Truth Press
[State expects to deploy math tutoring services October 1]
Sept 26, 2023, Defense Department Call for Major STEM Initiative As American Math Skills Pose Threat to National Security, NY Post
Sept 26, 2023, America's Poor Math Skills Raise Alarms About Global Competitiveness, AP
Sept 25, 2023, High School Banned Cell Phones in the Classroom. Even the Students Like it, Insider
[Teachers are leaving in higher numbers because of school violence, proposals in the article do not effectively address school violence]
Sept 23, 2023, District Leaders Walk a Fine Line on Cellphone Policies, Ed Week
Sept 21, 2023, Teachers Are Leaving Classrooms Feeling Undervalued - Penn State Research, WITF Org
[New accountability system is to increase transparency]
Sept 18, 2023, Student's LGBTQ Mural Must Be Removed Michigan School Board Says, NBC News
Sept 18, 2023, 25 Bad Uses of Tech to Avoid When Teaching Math, Teachers Say, Education Week
Sept 18, 2023, As More Schools Switch to 4-Day Week, Will Teachers Stay?, Good Morning America
Sept 16, 2023, Amherst School Board Opts Against Adopting Governor's Model Transgender Policy, News and Advance
[Fellowship of Christian Athletes was derecognized after teacher made complaint about faith of students]
Sept 9, 2023, Few Virginia School Divisions See Bright Spots in SOL Scores, Cardinal News
[Only 18 school divisions in Virginia maintained or increased their pass rate for at least one of the five subject areas tested, compared to before the pandemic.]
Sept 8, 2023, Harrisonburg City School Board Votes In Favor To Allow Collective Bargaining, WHSV
Sept 6, 2023, Federal Judge Drops the Gavel on Controversial Rule - Georgia Decision Affects Millions of Children, Patriot Journal
[Federal Judge ruled that Georgia may resume ban on hormone replacement therapy for children; Alabama federal judge issued similar ruling in August]
[Nevada State Board setting guidelines for schools that start before 8AM, Clark County High Schools start at 7AM. State board contends start time too early for optimal student learning]
Sept 3, 2023, Facing Mounting Challenges Schools Embrace the 4-Day Week, The Hill
Sept 1, 2023, Portland Public Schools Consider Changes to Grading to Reduce Bias, KGW8 NBC
Aug 28, 2023, Papio-LaVista School Board Reject Removal of Book From Library, News 12 Wichita
Aug 2, 2023, Houston's Plan to Convert Some Libraries to Disciplinary Centers Is Criticized, NPR
Aug 1, 2023, Commentary: If Other States Can Fix School Funding, Why Can't Virginia?, Richmond Times-Dispatch
July 7, 2023, Augusta County School Board Votes to Disable Comments on Social Media, News Leader
July 5, 2023, Ohio Passes School Choice, Independence from District School Monopoly, Daily Signal
June 28, 2023, Springfield, Missouri School Board Rejects LGBTQ+ Statement of Faith, Fox News
June 23, 2023, Testing in Virginia: an Overview, Great Schools
[Great Schools Guide to Standardized Testing]
June 22, 2023, American Middle School Reading and Math Scores Drop Dramatically, American Greatness
May 28, 2023, The Great American School Bus Boondoggle, Daily Caller
May 26, 2023, Larry Shifflett To Serve as Next Rockingham County Superintendent, Daily News Record
May 4, 2023, Gov Youngkin Signs 'Swatting' Bill at E.C. Glass High School, WDBJ CBS 7
Apr 26, 2023, Vermont School District Removes Male and Female From Reproductive Lesson, Fox News
Apr 18, 2023, 2 Iowa Teens Plead Guilty in Spanish Teacher's Beating Death, Associated Press
[Killed 66-year-old high school teacher because of bad grade while she was on regular after school walk in park. Killing had been planned over two weeks. One of the students had talked with her about grade afternoon before murder.]
Apr 17, 2023, How Walmart Pushed Arkansas Public Schools to Go Woke, Washington Free Beacon
Mar 29, 2023, Virginia Explained: The Debate over Student Expectations, Virginia Mercury
[The battle over cut scores, student accreditation standards, and text scores]
[71% want legislation to inform parents, 75% want legislation to inform parents before schools assist children in the change]
Mar 20, 2023, Feds Identify 'Significant' Ongoing Concerns with Special Education, Virginia Mercury
Mar 11, 2023, NY State Test Scores Worse Than They Seem Analysis Finds, New York Post
[20% of students did not take test which lowers results, in schools that were highlighted by NY educators as "successful" large proportions of the students did not take the test skewing results]
[Parents told school to not use child's preferred pronouns]
[Video was released by WKEF Television]
[NY Post published photo showing same teacher dressed as male without breasts. Lemieux denies photo in male dress is her. NY Post stands behind story and photo]
Mar 1, 2023, School Choice Argument Greatly Misrepresented in Ohio, American Liberty
Feb 23, 2023, What the Push for Parents' rights Means for Schools, Education Week
[It should be noted that a majority of conferences are held in Las Vegas because there is a lot of conference space, airline tickets are cheaper, and it is close to California. The more accurate question is could the training be accomplished in house or more cheaply, and how would it improve education in the classroom.]
[Lane Cogdill teaches at Silver Spring Intl Middle School in Montgomery County, Maryland]
Feb 9, 2023, Yes to Broadway High School Addition on County School Board Agenda, Daily News Record
Jan 25, 2023, Dan Breeden Won't Seek Another Term on Rockingham School Board, Daily News Record
Jan 17, 2023, Threat Made to Harrisonburg High School, WHSV3
[Rick Zbur headed the LGBTQ right group Equality California from 2014 to 2021 encouraging teachers to lies to parents.]
[Board banned DEI at its first meeting]
Jan 2, 2023, The CDC - Yes, The Health Agency - Is Pushing Trans Activism on Teachers, Daily Caller
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.
Resources on Education
Heritage Foundation Education Freedom Report Card By State (2023)
Misinterpretation of SB1303 Regarding Mandate for Children To Wear Masks in School
Virginia for Education Freedom (School Choice)
How Many High Schoolers Carry a Gun? USA FACTS (Apr 2023)
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