FALLing into Advoacy

There continue to be many opportunities for advocacy as we head into the fall. Here are a few things you can do to as local PTA leaders to support our students and our schools in the Hunt District:

LOUDOUN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD 
On Tuesday October 13, Loudoun County Public Schools welcomed some special education students back into classrooms. Previously, only students enrolled in MATA were receiving in-person instruction. 

At the School Board meeting,  Dr. Williams presented a 3 Option proposal for returning all additional hybrid students to schools. Possible dates include:

OCTOBER 27, 2020 - Grades PK, K-2 and English Learners Proficiency level 1.0-1.9
DECEMBER 1, 2020 - Grades 3-5 and AET/AOS Seniors.
JANUARY 21, 2021 - All secondary hybrid students 

There were several motions made by School Board members to return hybrid students sooner than the proposed plan, however all motions failed to pass. 

To review the documents presented, the remaining agenda items which will be discussed when the School Board reconvenes on Monday Oct 19 at 6pm, and watch the meeting recording, please visit LCPS Board Docs

**A new feature in the video recordings available on Board Docs allows you to select the agenda item you wish to view, rather than watching the entire video.**

To contact the Loudoun County School Board to make comments or share your concerns:

LCPS Superintendent Eric.Williams@lcps.org
All School Board Members lcsb@lcps.org
Denise Corbo (at large) Denise.Corbo@lcps.org
Atoosa Reaser (Algonkian) Atoosa.Reaser@lcps.org
Harris Mahedavi (Ashburn) Harris.Mahedavi@lcps.org
Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge) Ian.Serotkin@LCPS.org
Leslee King (Broad Run) Leslee.King@lcps.org
John Beatty (Catoctin) John.Beatty@lcps.org
Jeff Morse (Dulles) Jeff.Morse@lcps.org
Beth Barts (Leesburg) Beth.Barts@lcps.org
Brenda Sheridan (Sterling) Brenda.Sheridan@lcps.org


GET OUT THE VOTE
With the upcoming 2020 elections just a few weeks away, now is a great time for local leaders to share important voting information with your school community to ensure that all our members’ voices are represented. Here are some important dates to pass along:

• Voter Registration Deadline is TODAY (extended from October 13th)
  • Online - Tuesday, October 15, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. www.vote.virginia.gov.
  • In-person - Tuesday, October 15, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
  • By-Mail - Postmarked no later than October 15, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
  • Check your registration status
• Absentee Voting:
  • Last day to request ballot be mailed to you - Friday, October 23, 2020, 5:00 p.m.
  • Last day to vote absentee in-person - Saturday, October 31, 2020 (8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.)
• Early Voting:
  • Last day to vote early in-person - Saturday, October 31, 2020 
  • For early voting locations, visit https://www.loudoun.gov/5392/Early-Voting-Information

• Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Polls are open 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 Visit https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation to check voter registration status, register to vote, apply to vote absentee by mail, or find your polling place.
 
BROADBAND EXPANSION
As learning becomes more and more dependent on accessible high-speed internet, ensuring that our students have access to broadband service is an issue of equity in education. On October 7, 2020, Governor Northam allocated $30 million in federal CARES Act funding to fast-track broadband projects throughout the state.  Localities are eligible to apply for this funding.  You can advocate for the broadband needs of your students by emailing the Board of Supervisors to ask how they will partner with local Internet Service Providers to expand broadband in your community and encourage them to consider applying for this funding.  
 
RETURN TO SCHOOL – NEW PANDEMIC DASHBOARD
As the School Board continues to discuss plans to return our students to the classroom, there is a new tool available to assist with decision-making and advocacy efforts.  The Virginia Department of Health launched a Pandemic Metrics Dashboard that includes color coded school metrics based on the dashboard previously released by the CDC. This was a key priority in Virginia PTA’s Return to School Position Statement and we believe the data provided should support the work of the school division, as well as your advocacy efforts, on this issue.  


Laura Espiritu
Advocacy Committee Chair
advocacy@huntdistrictpta.org