Dogwood Daily: Researchers find prejudice in school policing

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood Daily. We’ve got a round-up of all of today’s Virginia news coming right up. And if you’re a fan, please forward to three friends who need to know what’s going on in the Commonwealth and tell them to subscribe here. 

But first …

Hang in there, Virginia. We know it’s Monday and that the Nationals lost last night but at least the Virginia grandmother who got a lease violation for taking too many cookies from her apartment building won’t have to leave her home.

Five things you need to know today …

1. Researchers show prejudice in school policing— A new report found African-American students in Virginia are more likely to get pushed in to the criminal justice system than students of other ethnicities. The Legal Aid Justice Center’s report showed that African-American students make up 22% of the school population but receive 60% of criminal complaints filed against students. Researchers are calling for the repeal of school related sections of disorderly conduct laws. Among the charges students faced were for things like “cutting in a lunch line” and “singing on a school bus.” –WAVY
   
2. Fairfax Country registrar rejects students’ voter registration attempts — The Fairfax county registrar rejected 171 voter registration applications last week after students used a general George Mason University campus address. Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is challenging that decision, arguing that the registrar must request more information before rejecting voters. The registrar, Gary Scott, says his office sent letters explaining how the rejected voters could fix their applications after the rejection letters went out, but lawyers say it was too little, too late. If students don’t fix their applications by a November 2 deadline, they will be unable to vote in the upcoming election. –The Washington Post
   
3. National ERA groups keeping close eye on Virginia election— Thirty-seven states have already passed the Equal Rights Amendment with only one more state needed to meet the constitutional threshold required to ratify it into law. Carol Jenkins, co-president and CEO of the nationwide ERA Coalition, is one of many keeping a close eye on Virginia’s upcoming November election. Advocates are hoping that if the General Assembly can flip from Republican to Democrat that the Equal Rights Amendment, which bans discrimination on the basis of sex, can finally pass after first being introduced to Congress in 1923. –13 News Now
   
4. Solar farm outside Richmond gets approval— The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve Cypress Creek Renewables’ plans for a 20-megawatt solar facility on 329 acres between Eppes Falls Road and River Road. Although residents raised concerns, the board said they were confident the farm wouldn’t hurt local property values because trees would shield the panels from sight, and they wouldn’t emit any sound once constructed. This is the second time within a month that the board has approved a large-scale solar farm in the area. –Richmond Times-Dispatch
   
5. Blue Line Project maps out future high tides in Norfolk– Old Dominion University Geography Professor Tom Allen teamed up with students to work on the “Blue Line Project,” which aims to create a map that depicts where future high tide marks will be in Norfolk.  Using satellite data, GPS and computer models, The Blue Line Project mapped out where the high tide mark is expected to hit in 2050, 2080 and 2100. The researchers said they hope the visualisation, which can be found on their website, will help residents plan for the future. -Virginian-Pilot