Protest day, removing “he/she” considered as Manassas schools update policies

Students in Manassas would be allowed to attend protests or other civic events and receive an excused absence from class under a newly updated policy under review by the city School Board.

Students in middle and high schools will be allowed to attend one protest per year. A school principal must determine what types of activities or civic events qualify for an excused absence, states school division spokeswoman Almeta Radford.

Parents and students don’t have to provide advanced notice before the student misses class. However, students must tell the school where they’ve been upon their return to qualify for an excused absence.

The civic event joins a list of eight other reasons for an excused absence, including doctor’s appointments, religious holidays, and death in the family.

The policy comes as a new state law that took effect July 1, allowing students one excused absence to attend a protest. The practice began in Fairfax County Public Schools, and bills championed by Senator Jennifer McLellan (D-Richmond) and Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) led to Virginia becoming the first state in the union to pass such a law.

This past spring, McLellan, and Rasoul both failed to become the Democratic Party’s nominees for governor and lieutenant governor during the statewide Primary Election, respectively. Terry McAuliffe and Hala Ayala of Woodbridge won those bids.

The excused absence policy is one of several Manassas public schools policies that received updates.

The words “he” and “she” in the policy manual were struck from the policy manual and replaced with “individual,” or “they” or “them.’

And, when it comes to lunch, students who can’t afford to pay for school lunches will not be shamed by wearing a wristband or handstamp. “Under no circumstances should a Manassas City Public Schools student be denied any meal due to the inability to pay,” the updated policy states.

The School Board is set to approve the policy changes at one of its two upcoming meetings in August. The School Board meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays, at City Hall, 9027 Center Street in Manassas.