Latest news with #SchoolBoard
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Portsmouth 2025 election: How and when candidates can file to run
PORTSMOUTH — The filing period for the 2025 city election will open Tuesday, Sept. 2 and end Tuesday, Sept. 16, according to Kelli Barnaby, the city clerk. The following nonpartisan offices, each for two-year terms, will be filled by the election on Tuesday, Nov. 4: City Council (nine positions with top vote getter becoming mayor and second highest vote getter becoming assistant mayor). School Board (five positions). Fire Commission (two positions). Police Commission (two positions). Requirements for filing for Portsmouth election Any candidate filing for the municipal election must be a qualified voter in Portsmouth, shall have been a resident of the city for at least two years immediately preceding the last municipal election, and may not hold any other municipal office once elected. Declarations of candidacy will be accepted in the city clerk's office during regular business hours. All the filings must be made in person. The filing fee is $5 or it is free with the submittal of a petition with 50 signatures of qualified voters in the city. City clerk office hours The city clerk's office is open on Mondays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The office will have extended hours on Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for candidates wishing to file. Partisan offices Partisan ward officials seeking a declaration of candidacy (moderator, ward clerk, selectman and registrar of voters) should contact their party chair, as these candidates are decided by party caucus. The filing fee is $1. For more information, visit: This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth 2025 election: How and when candidates can file to run Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Yahoo
Knox County school board approves all-day phone, watch and tablet restriction
The Knox County school board approved a restrictive policy on access to smart devices in schools, meaning students will only have access to phones, watches and tablets before and after school. The policy change follows a new Tennessee law restricting access for devices including smart phones, tablets, watches and more. Knox County Schools had a similar policy in place, but the board members agreed on an updated policy tightening use by students. The board approved the policy with six yes votes, two no votes and one pass during its July 10 meeting. Board members had options to allow students to access their devices at the lunch periods or between classes, but declined to approve those. Principals have the discretion to allow phones for work during class time, and students can carry them in backpacks or purses as long as they are kept out of reach. Students are allowed to use their phones during emergencies. The change applies in the new academic year in August. Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks at This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County school board approves all-day phone restriction
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Censured Baltimore County school board member announced reelection bid
A Baltimore County School Board member who was censured last year after a heated exchange with Superintendent Myriam Rogers announced her bid for reelection Wednesday night. Maggie Litz Domanowski, who represents District 3, announced Wednesday night on Facebook that she will run for reelection. 'I've been telling myself I will make a decision when I have to but it's a lie. I still have three children in the Baltimore county public school system and I have no plans to abandon them nor any other of our BCPS students, educators, or community members,' Domanowski, mother to a rising seventh grader and two rising fourth graders, wrote online. 'I haven't always loved my position nor campaigning … but I have always been grateful and glad to be here, serving my community and students to the best of my ability.' The school board censured Domanowski in March for 'a lack of courtesy and decorum' toward Rogers during a January school board meeting's discussion of the budget proposal. Domanowski said she's since appealed the censure, which is now in the hands of the State Board of Education. Domanowski said her reason for running in 2026 is the same as why she ran in 2022 — her children are in public school. 'I like feeling like I have something to say for all of our students and our educators from a different point of view,' she said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun on Thursday. 'I don't have a ulterior motive other than I hear what they say, and I do what … I feel is best and what the majority wants in their … schools.' Domanowski listed priorities such as higher standards for graduating high schoolers and improving third-graders' literacy. She also told The Sun she is in favor of stronger cell phone restrictions. 'I don't care about being right. I just want to do what's right,' she said. Though she said national politics are divisive right now, Domanowski advised voters to pay attention to their local politics and look beyond political affiliations. School board elections in Baltimore County are nonpartisan. 'Pay attention to what people are saying and don't worry about what their actual … politics are. Just worry about who they care about and what they say and what they're going to do,' she said. 'Yes, I am conservative. I've always been conservative, but … when I go to the school board meeting, when I vote, I'm always voting for what's best for … the school system.' Domanowski has not yet officially filed to run as of Thursday morning, according to the state Board of Elections website. No school board members or outside challengers have filed for the 2026 Baltimore County school board race yet. Currently, the 12-member board is comprised of one elected student representative with slightly limited voting power, four members appointed by the governor, and the rest are elected in each Councilmanic district every four years. Domanowski was elected in 2022, along with Brenda Savoy, Christina Pumphrey, Rod McMillion, Julie Henn, the current vice chair and chair Robin Harvey and Jane Lichter. Board members are limited to serving no more than three consecutive terms. Baltimore County's election map is changing as the county looks to add two more districts. Although the final map has not yet been approved, Ruie Lavoie, Director of the Baltimore County Board of Elections, said candidates can still file. Any change in district borders will automatically place them as a candidate for that new district, she said, and candidates will be notified of those changes. Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@ 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge slams Virginia Beach election referendum as ‘intentional effort' to sidestep federal law
VIRGINIA BEACH — A federal judge lambasted city officials this week for what he described as Virginia Beach's 'intentional effort to avoid compliance with federal law' by pursuing an election system referendum question on the November ballot. In a memorandum opinion and order issued Tuesday, Judge Raymond Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia called the referendum effort 'problematic,' in part because he said it invites the public to legitimize a voting system that would violate federal law. His written memo followed a hearing last month where Jackson rescinded his previous dismissal of the Holloway v. City of Virginia Beach case. Two Virginia Beach residents — Latasha Holloway and Georgia Allen — sued the city in 2017, challenging the all at-large election system used to elect members of the City Council and School Board. Jackson ruled in 2021 that the system 'denies Hispanics, African Americans and Asians equal access to the electoral and political process,' violating the federal 1965 Voting Rights Act. After that, the city began using a district-based electoral system that did away with all at-large seats except the mayor. In July 2022, the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the case was moot because Virginia's General Assembly had already passed a law (HB2198) eliminating at-large voting for most of the seats on the City Council. Jackson later dismissed Holloway's case but allowed for it to be brought back. Trump's megabill: Newport News leaders applaud more shipbuilding, brace for social services cuts Chesapeake's water, sewer rates will see 5% bump in January Super Girl action sports festival expanding to Virginia Beach in 2026 Chesapeake leaders to consider more water, sewer rate increases New Camp Morrison plan could turn Newport News WWI-era industrial park into housing Jackson officially reopened the lawsuit, allowing Holloway and Allen to challenge a hybrid voting system that would bring back three at-large seats. They have 30 days to file pleadings, according to the memo. 'We will be filing additional pleadings to ensure that, when Virginia Beach's voters go to the polls in 2026 and after, their ballots will be cast in a lawful system of election,' Holloway's attorney Simone Leeper wrote in an email Thursday. In the memo, Jackson noted that city attorneys admitted private individuals have been 'exerting significant influence over the City's ability to implement electoral changes.' Several well-connected business and community associations have pushed the idea of restoring some at-large seats on the council. City lawmakers voted in May to include a question on a November ballot referendum to gauge public support for either the 10-1 system or a 7-3-1 option, which would include seven district seats, three at-large seats and the mayor. A political action committee supporting the referendum effort — Every Vote Counts — has formed and is already collecting large donations. 'These facts strongly support the continued need for judicial oversight,' Jackson wrote. 'Defendants' conduct reflects not a mere lapse in execution but an intentional effort to avoid compliance with federal law and subvert a lawful electoral remedy.' The city's charter doesn't yet line up with the district-based system, and previous efforts to enshrine the 10-1 system into law have been held up because of legal challenges. Former council member Linwood Branch and other residents brought a suit last summer, saying the city had illegally removed three at-large seats. In that case, a Circuit Court judge ruled last week that the 10-1 election system used in the past two local election cycles is void. To become effective, it will require the state legislature to pass legislation that amends the city charter to that effect, attorneys involved in the case have said. When the city began positioning for a referendum, Holloway and Allen requested the federal court reopen their case, arguing the city is no longer taking steps to implement the 10-1 election system. 'This referendum is problematic for a variety of reasons,' Jackson wrote in the memo. 'First, the City previously surveyed the public, which showed 81% of the public supports the 10-1 system. Second, this referendum invites the public to legitimize a system that would violate Section 2 of the VRA (Voting Rights Act), specifically, the voting rights of minorities.' Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125,
Fox News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Court approves settlement after North Carolina student suspended for 'illegal aliens' comment
A high school student's free speech battle against a North Carolina school board took an important step towards closure after a court hearing Tuesday. Christian McGhee, 17, was suspended last year after school officials deemed he made a "racially insensitive" comment about "illegal aliens" in class. The suspension led to a year-long legal battle with the Davidson County Board of Education. Last month, a proposed settlement was reportedly reached between McGhee's parents and the school board. On Tuesday, Judge Thomas David Schroeder of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina ruled that the proposed settlement was "fair, reasonable and in the best interest of [Christian]," according to a press release released Wednesday by the student's legal representatives at the Liberty Justice Center. The school has reportedly agreed to remove the racial bias incident from McGhee's record, issue a public apology, and acknowledge that a former board member responded inappropriately to the incident. Additional terms of the agreement are sealed, but the New York Post reported that the family is also slated to receive a $20,000 payment. Because the student is a minor, a court hearing was required to finalize the settlement, according to the legal group. The teen received a 3-day suspension in the spring of 2024 after asking his teacher if a conversation in class was centered around "spaceship aliens" or "illegal aliens who need green cards" after he returned to the classroom from the restroom. A Latino student present in the class reportedly "joked" that he was going to "kick Christian's a--," leading the teacher to escalate the situation to the assistant principal. McGhee's mother, Leah, who was behind the legal push against the district, told "Fox & Friends" last year that their family tried "for weeks" to resolve the matter privately but were forced to file a lawsuit after getting no response from the school board. The lawsuit accused the school board of violating McGhee's constitutionally-protected rights to free speech and due process. "The court's approval represents a critical step towards finally vindicating Christian's constitutional rights and clearing his record of false allegations," Liberty Justice Center Senior Counsel Dean McGee said of this week's ruling. McGhee's parents said they were grateful and celebrating the legal win. "We are grateful for the Liberty Justice Center's tireless efforts to bring justice to our son, and to the members of the current school board who chose to work with us to help resolve the case," Leah and Chad McGhee said. "Together with the help of our community, we have proved that constitutional rights do not end at schoolhouse doors. We are celebrating this victory and hope it encourages other families to stand firm in the face of adversity." The Davidson County School Board did not immediately return a request for comment.
