For the 16th time, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. Now in its 26th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement for providing music access and education to all students.
For the 16th time, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. Now in its 26th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement for providing music access and education to all students.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) values and promotes active engagement of the community in all our schools. The Office of Family and Community Engagement coordinates many volunteer opportunities for community members to interact and contribute to the academic achievement of our students and the overall continuous improvement of VBCPS.
The Virginia Beach School Board received information about proposed federal grant applications at its May 13 meeting. For the 2025-26 school year, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) would receive approximately $21.6 million in formula grant funds through programs authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).
Students and staff of Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) benefit from the support of over 1,600 community partners each year. Partnerships between community groups, businesses and schools are integral to public education in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) is bringing exciting enhancements to transportation operations for both families and staff with the Zum technology platform. This innovative platform includes GPS tracking and sophisticated routing software that will further ensure safety, efficiency and transparency when driving our students to and from school.
Learn more about the 2025 Spring Catalog.
In a proactive effort to combat reckless driving behavior around school buses, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) has partnered with the Virginia Beach Police Department and BusPatrol to launch an enhanced school bus safety enforcement program to tackle the pervasive issue of illegal school bus passings and protect students.
At its Jan. 14 meeting, the School Board of the City of Virginia Beach elected Kathleen Brown as chair and Carolyn Weems as vice chair. Brown has served on the School Board for two years and Weems for 22 years.
Lalisha Fitchett, an English teacher at Brandon Middle School, is the 2026 Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) Citywide Teacher of the Year. Superintendent Dr. Donald E. Robertson Jr. made the announcement during a surprise visit to Brandon Middle on Dec. 19.
On Dec. 10, five new members were sworn in to serve four-year terms on the School Board of the City of Virginia Beach starting in 2025. The new members are as follows:
School Board of the City of Virginia Beach
Policy 3-56
BUSINESS AND NONINSTRUCTIONAL OPERATIONS
Safety Program
It is the policy of the School Board to take every reasonable precaution for the safety of students, employees, visitors, patrons and all other persons having business with schools in the School Division. The School Board believes that safety is important to everyone concerned with the schools, not only as a protective measure during school hours, but also as an instructional means of developing an appropriate mode of behavior to minimize undesirable and unplanned occurrences.
Editor's Note
For implementation reference the Office Of Security and Emergency Management website for information concerning VBCPS policies and procedures.
Legal Reference
Virginia Board of Education Regulations, Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia, as amended.
Adopted by School Board: August 15, 1989
Amended by School Board: February 16, 1993
Amended by School Board: July 20, 2021
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