Gloucester County Public Schools

Gloucester County Public Schools is a Virginia public school division serving Gloucester County, Virginia.

The school division operates eight schools: five elementary (grades K-5), two intermediate (grades 6–8), and one high school (grades 9–12). There have been numerous proposals for the school system to switch to year-round school like a few neighboring counties, but the board has rejected each proposal.

Elementary schools

In Gloucester County the five elementary schools start class at 9:00 am and end 3:50 pm. The five schools are as follows:

Abingdon (Panthers),[1] Achilles (Warriors),[2] Bethel (Bears),[3] Botetourt (Bulldogs),[4] and Petsworth (patriots).[5]

Unlike the middle and high schools, these schools give a group of around twenty students to a teacher for a whole school year.[6]

Middle schools

Gloucester County also has two middle schools that start at 7:45 am with homeroom and end at 2:46 pm. The schools' names are Peasley (Lions), and Page (Eagles).[7][8] On April 16, 2011, part of Page Middle School was destroyed by a tornado that passed through the area.[9][10] The 6th and 7th grades of Page were moved to Peasley the following school year while the 8th grade of Peasley and Page were moved to trailers located near the Gloucester High School campus. Page was rebuilt in a different location on TC Walker Rd, and opened for use September 2015.

High school

The county has one high school, simply called Gloucester High School (GHS). The school mascot is the former Duke of Gloucester, and school hours are 7:45 am to 2:46 pm.[11] Advanced classes are offered in English, Foreign Language, History, and Mathematics. In mathematics, attendees can take courses two years before they are required, and in language, students can take "advanced language", which is at a higher level than their peers. In history, a student can take AP or Dual Enrollment Courses [12]

Transgender policy controversy
Main article: Gender identity under Title IX § G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board

In December 2014, the GCPS Board passed a policy to restrict the use of its schools' single-sex bathroom and locker room facilities "to the corresponding biological genders".[13][14] The policy was made after receiving a complaint about a student, Gavin Grimm, a transgender boy attending Gloucester High School.[13][14] Grimm sued the Board,[15] and won in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that discrimination on the basis of gender identity is a form of discrimination on the basis of sex in violation of Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments.[13][14] Then in August 2016, the Supreme Court issued a stay of the Circuit Court's decision, and in October 2016, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case.[16] In August 2021, a settlement was announced under which the district agreed to pay the student $1.3 million for his legal fees.[17][18][19]

References
  1. Abingdon Website Archived 2007-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Achilles Website Archived October 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Bethel Website Archived February 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Botetourt Website Archived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Petsworth Website Archived June 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Elementary Schools Archived September 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Page Middle School Archived September 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Peasley Middle School Archived September 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Elsa Cooke Verbyla, "Powerful tornado strikes Gloucester: Three dead; Page Middle School devastated", Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, April 18, 2011.
  10. Matt Sabo, "Middle school staff, students join forces", Daily Press, April 21, 2011.
  11. Gloucester High School Archived 2007-08-14 at the Wayback Machine
  12. Gloucester County Public Schools Archived September 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  13. Fausset, Richard (April 19, 2016). "Appeals Court Favors Transgender Student in Virginia Restroom Case". New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  14. G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board (4th Cir.), Opinion of the Court, April 19, 2016
  15. "Complaint against Gloucester County School Board" (PDF). PacerMonitor. PacerMonitor. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  16. Barnes, Robert; Balingit, Moriah (October 28, 2016). "Supreme Court takes up school bathroom rules for transgender students". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  17. Patel, Vimal (August 30, 2021). "Virginia School Board to Pay $1.3 Million in Transgender Student's Suit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  18. "Gavin Grimm: School board will pay $1.3m in trans student's legal fees". The Independent. August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  19. "Gloucester County School Board to Pay $1.3 Million to Resolve Gavin Grimm's Case". American Civil Liberties Union (Press release). Retrieved August 31, 2021.
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