In a recent webinar, key educational leaders, including Denise Fort of the Education Trust and Hedy Chang of Attendance Works, emphasized the urgent need for schools to address chronic absenteeism, which has spiked significantly since the pandemic. Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, has been linked to poor academic performance, lower graduation rates, and long-term socio-economic consequences.

Despite the push for student engagement through innovative teaching methods and strategies, many students are still disengaged, often due to a lack of consistent teaching presence. Chang highlighted the importance of teacher attendance as a critical factor in student success. It’s not just the students who need to be present; stable and reliable teaching staff are also essential.

The panel discussed the role of parents, emphasizing that while they are often blamed for student absences, the real challenge lies in making school environments engaging and meaningful for both students and teachers. Many parents struggle to motivate their children due to the lack of engaging, relevant lessons, often finding students assigned to watch movies or complete work packets during teacher absences.

To combat chronic absenteeism, the panel proposed a multifaceted approach, which includes setting a goal to reduce chronic absenteeism by 50% over five years. This initiative must involve all stakeholders, including school administrators, teachers, parents, community organizations, and policymakers. School board members, in particular, are in a unique position to advocate for these changes by pushing for accountability in both student and teacher attendance, ensuring classrooms are engaging, and creating partnerships with local businesses and organizations to support struggling families.

The message to school board members is clear: the fight against chronic absenteeism cannot wait. Schools must provide high-quality education, consistent teacher presence, and a system of support to ensure that all students can succeed.

The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to reject the Biden administration's emergency request to enforce new Title IX protections that include transgender students, particularly provisions that would allow biological men access to women's bathrooms and locker rooms in certain states. The rule, effective from August 1, interprets discrimination "on the basis of sex" to include gender identity, which has been contested by more than two dozen Republican attorneys general. Click HERE for more details.

RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jason Miyares today led a 16-state coalition in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to protect parents’ fundamental rights to make decisions about their children’s welfare. 

In 2021, a Wisconsin school district implemented guidelines allowing students to change their gender identity at school – including names, pronouns, and use of facilities like locker rooms and bathrooms – without parental notification or consent. A group of concerned parents from the district filed a complaint, arguing that the policy violated their rights. However, both the district court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case, holding that the parents lacked standing to bring federal claims.

The 16-state coalition is now urging the Supreme Court to hear this case and reiterate that parents have the right to be involved in their children's educational and personal development. 

“Parents have the right to be involved in major decisions affecting their children's lives. This case presents an opportunity for the U.S. Supreme Court to provide much-needed clarity and reaffirm that government officials cannot override parents’ fundamental rights simply because they believe they know better,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares. “It is essential that schools work with parents, not against them, to support a child’s wellbeing.” 

Attorney General Miyares is joined by the States of Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Click HERE to read the brief.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Virginia Governor Issues Executive Order to Establish Cell Phone-Free Education in K-12 Public Schools

RICHMOND, VA— In response to growing concerns from parents, educators, and public health professionals, the Governor Glenn Youngkin has issued an Executive Order requiring the development and implementation of cell phone-free education policies in the state's K-12 public schools. This directive is an effort to address the escalating mental health crisis and declining academic performance attributed to excessive cell phone and social media usage among students.

The Executive Order instructs the Secretary of Education, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Virginia Department of Education, and the State Health Commissioner to collaborate on creating comprehensive guidelines for cell phone-free educational environments. The initiative stresses the critical need to mitigate distractions, improve student focus, and enhance overall educational outcomes.

Key elements of the Executive Order include:

• Stakeholder Engagement: Conduct listening sessions and engage with parents, students, teachers, and other stakeholders to gather input on age-appropriate cell phone-free education policies.
• Definition and Guidelines: Develop a clear definition of "cell phone-free education" and publish model implementation plans for school divisions.
• Public Feedback: Release draft guidance on the Virginia Department of Education's website for public feedback by August 15, 2024.
• Final Guidance: Issue final guidance by September 16, 2024, with school divisions expected to adopt policies by January 1, 2025.
• Communication Protocols: Address protocols for parent-student communication, medical needs, and emergency situations.
• Reporting and Data Collection: Establish a mechanism for reporting school division policies and collecting data on student outcomes.
• Collaboration with Health Agencies: Coordinate with relevant agencies to disseminate information on the impact of cell phone usage on academic and mental health.

Executive Order 33 comes in light of alarming statistics, including a significant rise in adolescent depression, anxiety, and suicide rates linked to social media usage. Recent studies show that students spending more than three hours a day on social media are at double the risk of poor mental health. Additionally, cell phone use during class has been shown to decrease academic performance.

The Governor's initiative aims to foster healthier, more focused learning environments and support the well-being of Virginia's youth. This Executive Order takes effect immediately and will remain in force until amended or rescinded.

For Immediate Release:

Friday, June 28, 2024

After Permanently 'Canceling' SBMA on Baseless Claims, York County Government Reverses Its Decision

The School Board Member Alliance of Virginia (SBMA) is finally vindicated from the baseless and unlawful actions taken against it by York County officials to permanently suspend the professional organization from contracting with the county in any way. 

SBMA's Executive Director, Sherri Story, said: "After county officials went out of their way to target and disparage SBMA, presumably for political reasons, our attorneys appealed the county's actions on our behalf, pointing out all the ways they failed to follow the law and even their own local regulations for public contracting. Today, York County wisely reversed course, issuing a letter declaring "I rescind the determination that SBMA is non-responsible.""

According to Story, "While we appreciate York County doing the right thing and reversing their unlawful action, SBMA now deserves a public apology from York County to help restore our reputation that its actions directly harmed. Agitators and news outlets have been using York's unlawful action against SBMA to impugn our character, and now York County needs to make clear to the public that it was wrong." 

For background about SBMA: SBMA's mission is to promote high-quality school board governance training that emphasizes excellence in public education and addresses the distinctive needs of each student. To learn more about SBMA, visit www.mysbma.org.

Click HERE to watch.

Click HERE to listen to the show.

Click HERE to access the letter of appeal. . .

York County's Allegations Against SBMA Contain False and Unfounded Accusations

The School Board Member Alliance (SBMA) firmly refutes the recent claims made by York County Purchasing Agent Janet Dudley which allege that SBMA threatened a York County school board member. These allegations are false and unsubstantiated.

Setting the Record Straight

Sherri Story, SBMA chairwoman, met via videoconference with York County School Board members Kim Goodwin and Lynda Fairman, both SBMA members. This meeting was to discuss the recurring agenda item concerning school board leadership.

SBMA fully recognizes and encourages the independent judgment that school board members must exercise in their governance roles. We also support our members in following the law. Under Virginia law, the school board chair is elected at the annual organizational meeting and serves a one-year term Va. Code § 22.1-76. York County School Board’s policy also states that the Chair is selected at the annual organizational meeting (Policy BCB).

At no time during the videoconference, nor in any interactions with Goodwin, did SBMA suggest that we would stop providing her with professional support services or withdraw our support. Any claim suggesting otherwise is flatly false. 

York County's Unjust Actions

It appears York County did not fully or properly apprise itself of these facts before excluding SBMA from doing business with the county. Before making this surprising, arbitrary, and unlawful decision, York County did not contact Story or Fairman, two of the three people on the videoconference, to gather the necessary information. Additionally, under York’s Procurement Policies, a determination of non-responsibility cannot be made without first having a live request for bids and receiving bids responsive to that request (York County Ordinance 23-3 § 10-3). This did not happen, making York County's decision legally deficient.

Appealing the Decision

SBMA will appeal York County’s decision. Our legal advisors have identified several other deficiencies in York County’s actions, which will be addressed in the appeal.

Contact:  Shelly Norden/ SBMA Marketing Director/ snorden@mysbma.org