Prince William County School Superintendent Steven L. Walts kicked off recognition of School Board Appreciation Month at the Board’s meeting on February 7. The theme of this year’s celebration, “Advancing Opportunities for All,” reflects the top priority of local school board members as they advocate for public education with local, state, and federal leaders.

The Prince William County School Board will meet tonight, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m., at the Kelly Leadership Center in Manassas despite the fact that county schools are closed today because of the weather. The School Board is due to get the Superintendent's proposed budget.

"Each person we are honoring this evening is part of the remarkable team that is Providing A World-Class Education to the students of Prince William County Public Schools,” Superintendent Dr. Steve Walts was quoted as saying, as he welcomed elected officials, administrators, teachers, and families to the annual celebration for outstanding educators.

Bristow Run Elementary's counselor, Melissa Leischner made students the focus of school counseling assemblies. To turn over ownership of her school assemblies to the students, she started writing student-led plays about topics such as bullying, diversity, and careers, all of which are part of the counseling curriculum.

In surprise announcements Feb. 6, Principal Robert Eichorn of New Directions Alternative Center, and Dr. Robert Scott, Advanced Placement Seminar teacher at Osbourn Park High School, learned they had won the county’s top awards for principal and teacher.

The victim in this morning’s fatal crash has been identified as Richard Lee PROFFITT, 62, of Manassas. At this time, charges have not been placed in the incident. The investigation is continuing.

On February 5 at 7:31AM, investigators from the Crash Investigation Unit responded to the Prince William County Schools McCuin Transportation Center located at 7900 Piney Branch Ln in Bristow (20136) to investigate a crash involving a County school bus. The investigation revealed that a driver of a 2014 Freightliner school bus was backing out of a service area within the center when another employee, who was standing behind the bus, was struck.

Prince William County's Department of Fire & Rescue (DFR) will be conducting live structural fire training on Thursday, Feb. 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the 10300 block of Kettle Run Road, a news release stated.