Schools

The Loudoun County School Board received the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) staff recommendations at the board’s Nov. 10 meeting and heard from several Ashburn and Lansdowne families and students affected by the long awaited and much debated boundary change.

Both scenarios recommend students from the Lansdowne community relocate from Stone Bridge High School to the new Tuscarora High School in Leesburg beginning with the opening of Tuscarora High School in the fall of 2010.

The results are in, and the message is a troubling one for parents of students in Loudoun. No parent wants to hear that their child's school is anything but perfect, and the fact that 17 Loudoun Schools–a jump from just three last year–failed to meet the requirements of "No Child Left Behind" is certain to raise concerns and complicate relations between teachers and parents as schools prepare to re-open.

J. Michael Lunsford, 57, “a beloved member of the Loudoun County Public Schools family,” died Wednesday, July 8, at Inova Loudoun Hospital, announced LCPS. Lunsford served as director of LCPS transportation since July 1995 and was honored last year for 40 years of service to LCPS.

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) provided a list of the teachers who earned the National Board Certification, “a demonstration of teaching practices as measured against comprehensive standards.”

 

 A Loudoun County Public School Bus became stuck on the median between lanes of traffic on Route 15 on Thursday, June 11. The driver, Mark David Griffiths, 54, was driving south on Sycolin Road and attempting to turn right onto the westbound lanes of the Leesburg Bypass/ Route 15. Unsuccessfully navigating the turn, the bus pushed forward onto the median between lanes of traffic, becoming stuck on the slope that makes up the median at that location.

The Loudoun County School Board’s annual “Evaluation of the Superintendent” is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 11. School board members annually review and evaluate the performance of the school system’s chief operating office in closed session. While matters addressed in the evaluation discussions are not made public, the terms of the superintendent’s contract are public record. By its action to extend and/or renew the superintendent’s contract–and the terms of the contract, salary and benefits–a majority of the School Board signals its appraisal of the superintendent’s performance.

The Loudoun Sheriff's Office has reported that a school resource monitor has been arrested for being drunk at school.

The Sheriff's Office was contacted by personnel at River Bend Middle School at approximately 9:15 a.m. on Friday, June 5, reporting that Michelle T. Kassner, 43, of Sterling, appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

A community information meeting regarding the proposed Dulles South Middle School (MS-5) is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 4 at Mercer Middle School, 41249 Greenstone Drive in Aldie. MS-5 site, the subject of the June 4 meeting, has, unlike other recent proposed school sites, passed preliminary muster with a majority of the members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. However, required County land use permits and applications await necessary approvals, nor has the public yet weighed in on this site.