Spotsylvania County Public Schools (SCPS) has announced the closure of all schools and offices for tomorrow, Monday, January 6, 2025. The decision, which affects over 23,000 students and 31 schools across the county, was shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The post reads:
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Fredericksburg City Public Schools (FCPS) has announced that all schools will be closed on Monday, January 6, due to the impending winter storm expected to bring heavy snowfall and hazardous conditions to the area. The announcement was made on the school division's official account on X, formerly Twitter.
"Fredericksburg City Public Schools will extend winter break by one day. This means all buildings will be closed on Monday, January 6. Tuesday, January 7, will be a staff workday. Students will report to school on Wednesday, January 8," the statement read.
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Regular classes will begin on Monday, January 13. In an earlier version of this post, we incorrectly reported that classes would be canceled on Monday, January 6.
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King George County Public Schools announced that all schools in the division will be closed on Monday, January 6, 2025, in anticipation of inclement weather. The announcement was made via X, formerly known as Twitter, citing concerns for the safety of students and staff.
The message stated:
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Stafford County Public Schools (SCPS) has announced the closure of all schools and buildings for Monday, January 6, 2025, due to the forecast of snow and ice overnight. This decision also extends to canceling all activities and events scheduled for Monday.
SCPS, one of Virginia’s largest school divisions, serves approximately 31,000 students across 33 schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools. The division emphasized that safety remains the top priority, urging residents to stay off the roads if possible.
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The Stafford County Public Schools Career Pathways Program creates new opportunities for students to explore career possibilities, acquire real-world skills, and prepare for workforce or higher education success. Open to rising ninth graders and high school students; this initiative provides a wide array of specialty centers and pathways that cater to diverse interests and aspirations.
The Career Pathways Program is designed to align with the Stafford County School Board's strategic plan by offering thematic specialty centers at local high schools. Each center focuses on specific career fields, ensuring students receive tailored education and experiences. For example:
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Stephanie Soliven, Ed.D., associate superintendent for teaching and learning at PWCS, said in the Dec. 4 School Board meeting that it'll be a helpful tool for students and parents alike.
"Through our approaches at making more tools available for students, further connection with parents and continuing the professional learning journey of our teachers and our staff, we are targeting every available option to support our student learning needs," she said. Soliven said students can also take additional courses through Varsity Tutors, either to advance in a subject or to discover new courses that may not be offered in PWCS. "You may have that fifth grader that is super excited about advanced math in sixth grade, but a little nervous about some of the skills and content — but they know they want to be on that advanced trajectory — they can do some additional coursework," she said. "[There's] a huge range of really cool high interest classes. I think this is so important because it fills some of that need at home for some of our students that maybe are missing out on some key skills, want to do some additional enrichment opportunities and can't do it in the school day." Soliven also emphasized that this service pairs students with human tutors. Students will be able to log into the platform, discuss the problem and then get paired with a person who can help them tackle it. "The live tutor is sharing a whiteboard with the student and literally mapping out the questions and the problems with them. It is not [artificial intelligence]," she said. "It is a human being on the other end guiding the students through the steps." Varsity Tutors also offers on-demand essay review, live group classes, self-study, college and career readiness and celebrity-led classes. PWCS School Board At-Large Chair Dr. Babur Lateef echoed the positives about the new service. "I can be a personal advocate on the fact that Varsity Tutors does a terrific job," Lateef said during the meeting on Dec. 4. "My kids have used them for many years. They are incredible and really work well." MCPS School Board Chair Suzanne Seaberg said she's excited for Varsity Tutors to make an impact in the district. "We are excited to partner with Varsity Tutors. This opportunity enables us to provide extra services for students so they can reach higher academic goals," Seaberg said in an email.
At its Dec. 10 meeting, the Manassas City School Board heard from Craig Gfeller, deputy superintendent, about the potential partnership and what it means for the district.
University Instructors was founded in 1994 in Richmond to provide one-on-one private mentoring by connecting students to tutors from local universities. The program expanded later in the 1990s once state test scores improved in Richmond City Public Schools, the company's website states. Now, UI works in 56 districts across the Commonwealth, including Loudoun County.
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According to a presentation given at the Dec. 4 PWCS School Board meeting, 15.4% of students are considered chronically absent as of Oct. 31, which marked the end of the first quarter. In the 2023-24 school year at the same time, only 14.7% of students were considered chronically absent.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more or 18 days of school for an enrolled student by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). Excused and unexcused absences count toward the chronic absenteeism rate.
