By a 4-1 vote with Midlothian board member Dot Heffron dissenting, the Chesterfield school board on Jan. 12 approved a return to in-person learning on Feb. 1 for prekindergarten through fifth-grade students. The remaining grades would return to in-person instruction at an undetermined time. Parents and students who want to remain 100 percent virtual can do so. Clover Hill board member Kathyrn Haines was hopeful that all teachers would have a COVID-19 vaccination by March 1, thus enabling the return of secondary school students. The vote followed the direction of staff and was based on a revised recommendation from Harvard…
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The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors on Dec. 16 approved a modified noise ordinance. The noise ordinance prohibits noises from electronic devices that can be heard inside nearby residences or 50 feet from the device between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. It also prohibits noises that are “plainly audible” during daytime hours in nearby residences or 300 feet from the device. The modification passed unanimously. A violation is a misdemeanor with a fine of $100 to $500. It requires a complainant to testify before a magistrate or for a police officer to do so if there is no complainant. Exceptions are…
Reviews of current Chesterfield/Colonial Heights District Court Judge Pamela O’Berry were split when two committees from the state House and Senate met virtually on Friday, Dec. 11. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman John S. Edwards (D-Roanoke) said he had “never seen so many citizens in support and so many with a different position” about a judge. O’Berry, who has served 12 years on the court, is one of five judges on the 12th Judicial District. Positive opinions of the judge came from several well-known officials, including county supervisors James Holland (D) and Chris Winslow (R), state Del. Dolores McQuinn (D-Richmond) and…
Two local Republicans who declared their intention to seek their party’s nomination for governor next year could have faced each other in the general election. State Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) and Del. Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) have announced their candidacies, along with Kurt Santini, a Bedford County resident and former Army Ranger. Chase, who earlier said she would run as an independent if her party chose a convention instead of a primary for next year’s election, made an about-face on Friday. In a Dec. 11 Facebook post, Chase said she recently received “thousands of communications” from across the state asking…
11420 Womack Road rezoning case
The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors agreed to have a public hearing about a modified noise ordinance to be held during the Dec. 16 hearing. County Attorney Jeffrey Mincks spoke during the supervisors’ Nov. 18 work session about the proposal. The county currently has a noise ordinance that goes into effect at midnight, but Mincks said that’s too late. He suggests changing it to 11 p.m. and adding some restrictions for daytime hours as well. In addition to the noise ordinance, Mincks proposes adding a requirement that one have a berm or backstop when target shooting so that bullets don’t…
Some special education students are exception In a news release the day before Thanksgiving, Chesterfield County Public Schools announced a pause in in-person instruction in school buildings through the end of the first semester, Jan. 29. Certain special education students are not subject to the pause. The decision was due to a dramatic development in COVID-19 data. The 25 cases per 100,000 people per day standard was breached Nov. 25 when it rose to 26.5. The rolling seven-day average of cases had been 13.2 per 100,000 a month before, according to the release. In addition, the coronavirus test positivity rate…
Cox, Morrissey criticize rush to judgment for the VMI superintendent Two of Chesterfield’s state legislators reflected last week on the Nov. 9 special session. State senators gathered at the Science Museum of Virginia while state representatives met virtually to consider amendments to bills proposed by Gov. Ralph Northam (D). In an email to constituents, Del. Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) said Northam had his chief of staff, Clark Mercer, call Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III to ask that he resign following claims of racism last month on the campus of Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. Peay resigned Oct. 26. Cox said…
Early Childhood Academy approved for old Harrowgate Elementary Several teachers questioned and criticized the school board during a Nov. 10 meeting that followed Chesterfield County Public Schools bringing some students in grades 6 through 12 back to buildings Nov. 9. “Many staff members are leaving, and they should be,” teacher Todd Gasparello said. “I am staying to fight because I’m younger. I am tired. There are no subs. Bus drivers rarely get a break to use the [restroom] after several hours of driving. I’m tired because administrators are now becoming substitute teachers.” Nick Oyler, coordinator of student health services, explained…
Two of five school board members in opposition By a split decision, the Chesterfield County Public Schools’ health panel decided to move forward with Project Restart by bringing Cohort 4 back into school buildings. The decision – which was announced at the school board’s Oct. 27 meeting – will allow any sixth- through ninth-graders who weren’t already attending school in-person to begin doing so two days a week on Nov. 9. In reaction to the panel’s decision, two members of the five-person school board voiced their objections: Clover Hill member Dot Heffron and Midlothian member Kathryn Haines. Nick Oyler, the…
Public hearing set for regional transportation authority budget A study projects that Chesterfield County needs $22 million to fund salary and benefits increases for police and fire personnel. Commissioners received study results during an Oct. 28 work session presented by Evergreen Solutions LLC of Tallahassee, Fla. The study calls for $5.87 million in salary and benefits in Phase I and $16.5 million in Phase II. County administrator Joe Casey said the timing of the study is “perfect” as the county begins preparing for the Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget. He noted that $22.38 million would be a “base injection plus a…