The Politics Hour is returning to class as we check in with several local school officials as the new year begins.

As enrollment at Arlington public schools continues to increase, there’s pressure to build more schools in the county. Superintendent Francisco Durán joins the show to discuss how he’s managing that. Plus, earlier this summer, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin released guidelines on how to treat transgender and nonbinary students. We ask how the district is responding to the state-issued policies.

COVID rates are again ticking up in the region, with positive cases leading some schools to return to mask mandates. Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Monifa McKnight sits down with Kojo and Tom to talk about it. Keeping students safe from on-campus violence is also at the top of many locals’ minds, particularly in light of a fight that broke out after a football game at a Montgomery County high school this past weekend. We ask McKnight what the county is doing about that.

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