RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) - Richmond Public School families waiting to hear back about virtual learning could get an answer this week. In an RPS direct update Wednesday night, Superintendent Jason Kamras says, the district will begin offering seats to a limited number of preschool-5th grade students on their Richmond Virtual Academy waitlist.

High school students in Albemarle County who want to play winter, spring and club sports have until Nov. 8 to become fully vaccinated. The school division announced the requirement last week to families and provided more information Friday. Several other school systems throughout Virginia, including Charlottesville, have similar requirements.

Division officials have said reconfiguring how the grades are set up would be transformative for students and help to address persistent achievement gaps and equity issues. Students of color account for 84% of the preschool program's enrollment and 62% of grades five through eight, according to VMDO's analysis.

Schools in Lynchburg and the surrounding counties together reported 160 new positive cases of COVID-19 this week. Together, Lynchburg City Schools and the public school divisions in Amherst, Bedford, Campbell and Nelson counties have reported about 1,178 cases of the coronavirus in the 2021-22 school year.

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (WDVM) - After months of controversy surrounding meetings, the Loudoun County School Board is updating its guidelines for public participation. Those who want to participate in public comment must now meet certain criteria, according to a press release: They must be residents of Loudoun County (including its incorporated towns) Owners of businesses [...]

PULASKI COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - Pulaski County Public Schools is one of the many school districts in the area still feeling the impacts of the pandemic. Between the bus driver and substitute teacher shortage-they say filling these positions has not been easy.

ROANOKE, Va. - Marching to the drum taps, more than a dozen high school bands from across the region competed in a one-of-a-kind band competition. Kicking off with a drum major salute, 15 high school bands battled it out on the William Fleming High School field in the first Star City Classic marching band competition.

More than a dozen current Henrico school bus drivers gathered Thursday during a school board meeting to share their concerns over wages, workload, and even mental health. Many said, they are worn thin just weeks into the 2021-2022 school year.

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - The remainder of a football game at Lakeland High School in Suffolk Friday night was canceled after a "disturbance" involving spectators. A police official said the disturbance related to fights, and that social media posts referring to a shooting were incorrect.

The Rockingham County School Board meets Monday to discuss a variety of topics, including an update on COVID-19 and the school division's continued response. RCPS is one of a handful of school divisions that has chosen to participate in a program called ViSSTA, which provides surveillance testing to students who agree to participate.