School Policy Accused of "Targeting" Students Passes, Chesapeake Dead Zone Shrinks, and more

Historic Triangle News Roundup November 26 - December 2

Howdy! It’s Sunday, December 3, and I’m perusing this union-made gift guide for my holiday shopping. Now let’s get to last week’s top stories.

WJCC School Board adopts policy revisions following Gov. Youngkin’s Model Policies regarding treatment of trans students

• This week the Williamsburg-James City County School Board voted to pass a few policy revisions, including one that requires students to obtain written permission from a parent to go by a name different than the one officially on record.

• Board members who supported that revision argued it would bring the school division into compliance with Gov. Youngkin’s Model Policies regarding the treatment of trans students, despite the state’s limited means of enforcement.

• Parents, school staff, and board members opposing this revision expressed concerns that it would be used to “target” a group of students and risked coming into conflict with federal anti-discrimination laws.

Reports find Chesapeake Bay dead zone smallest that it has ever been on record

• The Chesapeake Bay dead zone, an area of low oxygen caused by pollution-fed algae, is at a historic low according to a new annual report by the Virginia Institute for Marine Science and another by the Chesapeake Bay Program.

• The authors of the reports said that the small size of the zone indicates that pollution reduction strategies are working, specifically reducing the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous that enter waterways.

• However, at the Chesapeake Executive Council meeting last year, it was concluded that the nutrient reduction goals of the 2025 Watershed Implementation Plans would not be met on time.

Other Headlines

• Members of the Williamsburg-James City Education Association rallied ahead of this week’s school board meeting, asking that the school board form a joint committee that can draft a collective bargaining resolution.

• The WYDaily covered the York River and Small Coastal Basin Roundtable plan published over the summer which seeks to protect Virginia’s coastal wetlands.

• The James City County Board of Supervisors was told upfront this week that the planned Williamsburg Sports & Events Center will probably operate annually at a $300,000 to $400,000 loss after its estimated opening in 2026.

Upcoming events

How University Expansion Has Uprooted Communities of Color:

• When: Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 4 PM

• Where: Virtual

An Enchanted Evening on Main Street in Historic Yorktown:

• When: Friday, Dec. 8 at 5 PM

• Where: Historic Main Street, Yorktown

“At Christmas Be Mery” at Historic Jamestowne:

• When: Saturday, Dec. 9 at 5:30 PM

• Where: Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center, 1368 Colonial Pkwy, Jamestown

That’s a wrap for this week. Before you go, read this haunting and well-written piece about the “Ghost Forests” of Chesapeake Bay.

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