804 Day and School Superintendent Turnover
Cheers RVA!
Today will be a mix of clouds and sun with a high of 88, and a low chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm.
the juice:
It’s Monday, so here’s a fun story:
Bunky, a half blind rescue dog whose appeared in two Super Bowl commercials, has become the official dog for 804 Day, Richmond’s Biggest Block party at the 17th St. Market beginning Friday at 4 pm.
Bunky beat out more than 100 other dogs for the title of ambassador.
the pulp:
An 11-year old in Henrico is facing felony charges related to bomb threats he made against Florida Schools in “swatting” type calls.
A woman was killed and a man injured after a shooting at the Boulders Apartments in Chesterfield. Apparently the two were arguing loudly prior to the incident, via channel 6
the dive:
The Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial Board writes about the recent turnover in School Superintendents in Virginia including most recently Michael Gill in Hanover.
Hanover County has gotten more diverse in recent years, much like Henrico and Chesterfield.
Specifically, Hanover Public Schools has gone from having 18% nonwhite students to 28%, and the number of economically disadvantaged students has increased from 15% to 33% in the last eight years.
Gill said in 2018:
The three pillars that we focus on in Hanover have been a continued emphasis for the past several years — it’s relevance, equity and innovation,” he said, explaining that “from a budgetary or human resources standpoint, everything has to be driven through a lens of equity.
The pandemic made the job of superintendent more political, stressful, and school board meetings more contentious.
The editorial notes while Hanover was the first school system in the state to return to in-person instruction, the tide turned for Gill in 2022:
In 2022, the board passed a policy requiring transgender students and their parents to submit a request and supporting documentation, including disciplinary or criminal records, to school administrators to use school facilities that aligned with their gender identity. It also went on to ban roughly 100 “explicit” books, many by LGBTQ authors.
Suffice it to say Gill’s equity efforts were doomed.
Read the full editorial here.
the vibe:
I really like this bumper sticker, but can’t figure out why it was placed on the front left of the vehicle.
Have a bunky day RVA!
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