Inside A5 PCPS welcomes new teachers
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Muminovic earns 11 medals, 7 gold at Eastern Zones
Vol. XXXV No.. 7
August 18, 2021
PCPS requires masks for start of school year Governor issues Public Health Emergency Order compelling K-12 masking By Laura McFarland Editor
P
OWHATAN – In a reversal from plans released in July, Powhatan County Public Schools will require that masks be worn by students and staff inside school buildings and on buses when the new school year begins on Monday, Aug. 23. Superintendent Eric Jones announced on Monday, Aug. 9 in a letter to families that the decision was made because of actions at the state level. The announcement came about two weeks after Jones sent out a plan for the new school year to Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS) families saying that masks would be optional in buildings but required
on school buses. Jones said last week his decision was made because the division’s school board attorney determined that PCPS would be violating a new state law by not following current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance on mitigation efforts to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. On Thursday, Aug. 5, Governor Ralph Northam held a press conference where he referenced SB 1303 and called on school boards to follow this law enacted by the General Assembly. Northam was specifically referencing the section of the bill that instructed “each school board to provide such in-person instruction in a manner in which it adheres, to the maximum extent practicable, to any currently applicable mitigation strategies for early childhood care and education programs and elementary and secondary schools to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 that have been provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” After consulting with the division’s school board attorney, it was determined that PCPS would be violating this law by not following current CDC guidance on mitigation efforts to reduce the transmission
County honors fallen servicewoman
Powhatan County School Board sees pushback from parents angry about new mask requirement See full story Page 3A
of COVID-19, Jones said. “We are disappointed that we will be starting the school year in an increased mitigation phase, but we are obligated to follow the law and have a moral imperative to follow current scientific guidance to keep our students and staff as safe as possible,” Jones wrote in the letter. “All of us want a school experience that is positive and productive for our students. We need your help in following the mitigation measures that we have in place and taking the necessary steps to keep you and your family safe.” Debate raged across the state and in Powhatan
Firefly receives grant for broadband project By Laura McFarland Editor
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
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People gather along Anderson Highway to honor U.S. Coast Guard member and Powhatan native Caroline Schollaert as a motorcade brings her body into the county.
By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – Powhatan County’s sense of community was evident in full force last week as people lined up along Anderson Highway to greet a motorcade carrying the body of Powhatan native and eight-year U.S. Coast Guard member Caroline Schollaert. Schollaert, 26, was killed attempting to stop a car burglary outside her home on Aug. 3 in Jacksonville, Florida, where she had been stationed for the last four years. Schollaert’s parents, Pat and Maggie Schollaert, who live in Powhatan, traveled to Jacksonville immediately after they learned about the shooting. On Tuesday, Aug. 10, they were in a motorcade that
brought Schollaert’s body back to Powhatan. They were flown into Richmond Executive Airport in Chesterfield, where an honors ceremony was held, and then a long motorcade escorted her back to her hometown. Schollaert was assigned to do heavy maintenance for the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), which is a specialized unit of the Coast Guard that handles drug interdictions. Her father previously said she loved being in the coast guard for the last eight years and was especially proud of her unit’s work trying to stop drug running. In addition to the coast guard members, law enforcement, fire and rescue, motorcycle groups, and others who participated in see SERVICEWOMAN, pg. 8
see MASKS, pg. 4
POWHATAN – Firefly Fiber Broadband recently announced it has received a $14.1 million federal grant that will aid in the expansion of rural broadband in five localities, including Powhatan and Cumberland counties. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Aug. 11 that Firefly, which is a subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC), had received the grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Reconnect Program. The company had applied to USDA for the 100% grant option and the funds will be used to offset the cost of the $18.8 million fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) build across parts of Buckingham, Cumberland, Goochland, Louisa, and Powhatan counties. The funded service area includes 37 educational facilities, three health care facilities, 14 essential community facilities, 4,139 households, 13,886 people, 193 businesses, and 65 farms spread over 65 square miles, according to a release from Firefly. These rural Virginia residents will have unprecedented access to Firefly’s symmetrical broadband speeds of up to one gigabit per second with no data caps or contracts. Firefly will also offer business and residential phone service. Firefly President Gary Wood said the company’s goal is to help address the lack of reliable, high-speed internet across as much of Central Virginia as possible. “The pandemic created even
more of a digital divide for rural residents who needed the internet to work from home, remote learning, and attend doctor appointments virtually to avoid COVID exposure,” he said. “This grant from the USDA will help us to spread our wings in areas where Firefly has not previously been available. We extend our sincere appreciation to these five county boards of supervisors and their staff as well as Senator Mark Warner, Senator Tim Kaine, and Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger for their assistance with and support of this application.” Powhatan County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Karin Carmack, who represents District 5, said last week that the county is thrilled about the announcement. “Powhatan County has worked diligently for the past two years to ensure citizens in Powhatan County have broadband and this will be one huge step in making that a reality,” she said. County administrator Ned Smither said the board of supervisors has made broadband a priority for Powhatan and is grateful to everyone involved for helping Powhatan obtain the USDA grant award. “Our board of supervisors continues to add significant pieces to the broadband puzzle, and the USDA Reconnect Grant is a huge step forward to providing high speed internet services to all unserved citizens in Powhatan,” he said. Wood had spoken to the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors on July 26 giving an see BROADBAND, pg. 6
Library pleased with turnout for summer reading By Laura McFarland
PHOTO COURTESY OF POWHATAN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Editor
POWHATAN – While they couldn’t get as interactive as they would have liked, Powhatan County Public Library staff members were still delighted with the level of participation they saw with the 2021 summer reading program. The summer reading program ran from June 22 to July 31 and saw 604 participants of all ages. Because of early planning and being unsure what would happen this sumsee READING, pg. 6
As part of the Powhatan Library’s summer reading program, an in-person program was held that allowed teens to build Pokémon terrariums.