Richmond Free Press October 8-10, 2020 edition

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Richmond Free Press © 2020 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 29 NO. 42

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

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Meet board president of YWCA Richmond B3

OCTOBER 8-10, 2020

Richmond Public Schools’ on-time graduation rate still lowest in state By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond Public Schools continues to generate more dropouts and produce fewer graduates in four years than virtually any other school division in Virginia, according to the latest yearly report from the state Department Education. Despite pandemic-induced halts to grading and end-of-course testing in the final three months of the 2019-20 school, RPS issued diplomas to 1,078 students of the 1,506 who began ninth grade in 2017, according to the report. That’s a 71.6 percent graduation rate, and it lags far behind the state’s 92.3 percent on-time graduation rate for all 132 public school divisions. Meanwhile, 349 students, or nearly one in four from the Class of 2020, dropped out before graduation — with the RPS student loss rate of 23.2 percent nearly five times Mr. Kamras the state average of 5.1 percent.

A scan of the report indicates that Richmond continues to be in a league of its own in shedding high school students. While RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras continues to praise the work teachers, administrators, staff, students and parents are doing, he has been silent publicly on the Sept. 30 report. Nor has there been any public comment from members of the Richmond School Board or those seeking election to the board in November. The bottom line: The state report appears to show that the change of leadership ushered in when Mr. Kamras took charge of RPS in February 2018 has had little impact on student outcomes. In the Richmond region, RPS’ 71.6 percent on-time graduation percentage trailed most other school divisions by at least 20 percentage points. Richmond also was 15 percentage points behind Petersburg Public Schools, which reported that 86.5 percent of the 275 members of the Class of 2020 received diplomas. Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Richmond Police officers stand with National Guard members and Virginia State Police troopers at Madison and Grace near Police Headquarters in June in Downtown Richmond.

Richmond Police detectives indicted on misdemeanor charges By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The Richmond Police Department appears to have largely dodged a legal bullet from the actions of its officers during the spate of protests over police brutality and racial injustice during late spring. Capping at least a 90-day investigation, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette W. McEachin on Monday presented 18 charges against eight officers to a Richmond grand jury. But the grand jury sent back only two indictments against

two Richmond officers for misdemeanor assault and battery — charges considered relatively minor, although conviction carries the potential for up to a year of jail time and a fine and would open the door for possibly expensive civil lawsuits. The two officers who were indicted are Detective Christopher Brown, 28, who has been on the Richmond police force for five years, and Detective Mark Janowski, 34, who has been on the force for six years. Because the charges presented to the grand jury were sealed, and state law requires grand jury proceedings to be secret, noth-

By Ronald E. Carrington and Jeremy M. Lazarus

By Fred Jeter

Please turn to A4

Please turn to A4

Day care options opening for student virtual instruction

CIAA football the latest victim of COVID-19 The coronavirus is wreaking havoc on the CIAA. As result of the pandemic, the CIAA will not crown an official football champion in the spring of 2021. That means there will be no CIAA school standings in football, no Northern and Southern Division champions and no CIAA Championship Game in Salem, as in the past. Basketball is being affected, too. The CIAA basketball season will not start until at least Jan. 9, some two months later than normal. These decisions involving football and basketball were made last week during a meeting of CIAA chancellors and presidents in Charlotte, N.C. The CIAA had postponed football until the spring of 2021, with little in the way of announced details, because of the pandemic. Although the CIAA will not recognize a football champion, schools are free to attempt

ing is known about the six other officers and why charges were sought against them. Detectives Brown and Janowski were processed Monday night and released on their own recognizance. They both appeared in Richmond Circuit Court on Wednesday, but the setting of a trial date was postponed until early November to allow them to confer with their attorneys to decide whether to have a jury trial or have a judge decide their guilt or innocence.

More lower cost day care options are starting to emerge for Richmond Public Schools students to attend virtual classes and relieving parents who must work or who feel ill-equipped to double as teachers. Though still modest and far short of the 1,000 to 1,500 slots some estimate as the need, the program backed by $3 million in city funding is expanding to include school buildings, churches and other approved sites, including the BlackTop Kings & Queens Sports Academy Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Who is that masked man? Joshua Crawford, 5, of Manchester shows off his police badge sticker Tuesday during National Night Out, the annual community-building campaign put on by police departments across the nation to promote police-community partnerships. The youngster and his mom, Chi Reed, attended the Richmond kickoff at the Jefferson Davis Civic Association event in South Side. Please see more photos, A6.

Free COVID-19 testing Free community testing for COVID-19 continues. The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:

Date

Location

Thursday, Oct. 8, 9 to 11 a.m

Robinson Theater Community Arts Center 2903 Q St., East End

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 4 to 6 p.m.

Second Baptist Church of South Richmond 3300 Broad Rock Blvd. in South Side

Thursday, Oct. 15, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Epiphany Lutheran Church 1400 Horsepen Road, Western Henrico

Friday, Oct. 16, 1 to 3 p.m.

Eastern Henrico Health Department 1400 N. Laburnum Ave. Eastern Henrico

Drive-thru testing only.

Drive-thru testing only.

Drive-thru testing only for those pre-registered.

in South Side. In an update presented Monday, the Richmond School Board was informed that one of five school buildings the board approved for day care use is now open. YMCA Richmond opened its first schoolbased Student Success Center Monday at Miles Jones Elementary School in South Side, with the 49 slots already filled. That adds to the 80 slots at two churches the YMCA began with. The School Board was told that the YMCA is scrambling to add staff at Miles Jones ElPlease turn to A4

Gov. Northam remains in isolation after COVID-19 symptoms emerge By George Copeland Jr.

Gov. Ralph S. Northam and First Lady Pamela Northam remain in isolation for the coronavirus this week in the Executive Mansion after the

Appointments are encouraged by calling the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Testing will be offered while test supplies last. The Chesterfield County Health Department also is offering free COVID-19 testing at the following locations: • Cornerstone Church, 10551 Chalkley Road, 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, 19 and 26, and Thursday, Oct. 8, 15, 22 and 29. • Walmsley Boulevard United Methodist Church, 2950 Walmsley Blvd., 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, 20 and 27. • Faith and Family Center, 7900 Walmsley Blvd., 5 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, 17, 24 and 31. Testing is encouraged for those who have COVID-19 symptoms. The testing is free, and no reservations are necessary. Details: Chesterfield County Health Department at (804) 318-8207. The Virginia Department of Health reported on Wednesday a total of 153,691 positive cases of COVID-19 statewide, along with 11,345 hospitalizations and 3,303 deaths. Officials reported a steady 4.8 percent positivity rate statewide. According to the data, African-Americans comprised 25.3 percent of cases and 27.2 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 29.2 percent of the cases and 9.8 percent of deaths.

governor, who was asymptomatic after first testing positive for COVID-19, developed symptoms over the weekend. In a video message posted to social media on Monday, Gov. Northam said he developed “mild, cold-like symptoms” during the weekend and lost his sense of smell. Mrs. Northam was showing

mild symptoms of the virus, officials said, after the couple found out on Sept. 24 that they tested positive for the virus. Gov. Northam, a 61-yearold physician, is monitoring his symptoms along with doctors, and helping state and local health officials as they Please turn to A4

Gov. Ralph S. Northam and his dog, Pearl.

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