Liana Hardy covers educational equity in Henrico County, Virginia for the Henrico Citizen. Prior to joining the Citizen, Hardy interned for the Alexandria Times in Alexandria, Virginia, where she wrote stories on local sports, arts and music, education and politics. Hardy earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Georgetown University, where she worked as a news and features editor for The Hoya, the university’s main student newspaper. She also completed coursework for minors in journalism and Spanish. Hardy is a native of the D.C. region, growing up in Arlington, Virginia, where she loves to explore nature trails and local food sites.
Beat: Educational equity in Henrico County, VA
This Report for America corps member digs into the racial divide in Henrico County public schools. Among the biggest issues in Henrico, a county that includes the greater Richmond, Va., area: school segregation and school suspensions. A 2015 study found that Henrico County Public Schools was one of the few U.S. localities in which school segregation was increasing – and had disproportionately high rates of suspension among Black students.