Fairfax County schools will stay virtual this fall
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| FCPS might not need these floor stickers for a while. |
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand has reversed course and now recommends that the school year start in a virtual format for everyone.
The previously approved plan gave families the option of sending students to school for face-to-face learning for two days a week.
Citing “worsening national and regional health conditions, incomplete health data tools, and health conditions’ impact on operations,” Brabrand’s recommendation calls for a virtual start to the school year with a reassessment at the end of the first quarter.
Brabrand presented that recommendation at a school board work session July 21, and the board agreed.
If health conditions improve, FCPS should bring students back for intervention support on a limited basis, Brabrand says. After that, FCPS would scale students back in (no earlier than the end of the first quarter), starting with elementary school students, select preK-12 special education students, and English language learners.
Related story: FCPS could reconsider in-school learning
Since FCPS announced the hybrid approach in June, health conditions are worsening nationally and regionally and have steadily deteriorated, he says. There is a record number of new cases in the country, and the mortality rate is rising. Meanwhile, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Virginia would go back to Phase 2 if needed.
Brabrand noted there are no federal or state tool to determine when it is safe to open or close a school or school district. Meanwhile, there is no rapid testing available in Fairfax County, and in-school testing of students and staff in school is not available due to limited testing capacity and high costs. A five to seven-day waiting period for test results makes it difficult to notify students and staff.
Related story: More details emerge on FCPS return-to-school plan
Several operational impacts also inform the recommendation to remain all-virtual:
- One-third of FCPS employees live outside of Fairfax County.
- Leave of absence requests from staff are already doubled from last year and are expected to increase throughout the year.
- Applications for substitute teaching positions in July are lower than usual.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation requests for individual health exceptions for teachers are at 1,522, meaning approximately 10 percent of teachers may not return in person. Those requests are expected to increase throughout the year, causing additional staffing challenges.
- The high number of ADA accommodation requests is having a negative impact on scheduling in-person school instruction.
9 responses to “Fairfax County schools will stay virtual this fall”
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Fewer teachers. School facilities not used. Time to demand property rebates for school money not used. Maybe just go online all the time and save a ton of taxpayer money. Sell school property to developers. Windfall for the county. Part-time school, or if we revert to full time online school, are all logically permanent because, according to CDC data, flu risk of hospitalization or death every year is higher than COVID risk this year.
Develop into what, office space? The vacancy rate is already too high and with COVID that will rise even higher as telecommuting becomes adopted as the new normal.
Schools are needed to socialize youth, we just have too many kids and too little space for total social distancing in schools. My solution is for greater population control. There are too many kids coming out of poor family circumstances. Tell the Catholic Church to stop their interference in birth control methods, particularly among the poor and uneducated immigrants.
From the article above: "The is a record number of new cases in the country, and the mortality rate is rising." Is that Brabrand's words, or the authors? If authors, citation for the mortality rate is rising, please.
Superintendent said it
alright…robbing the children of their childhood…..way to go!
Benefits of online schooling include:
1. Able to eat properly at home. Cafeteria food is basically dog food without the added vitamins.
2. More quality time with parents. Many parents don't spend enough time with their kids and view them as a burden. In return, kids grow up resentful and resort to crime such as looting and terrorizing neighbors and local businesses.
3.lower taxpayer expense. Pre-recorded teachings can be made with online examinationd. alot of unneeded salaries can be cut.
Only problems I see here:
1: Cafeteria food is pretty decent. My kids go to FCPS and I've been there at lunch time and the food is pretty good with lots of fruits, vegetbles, and even a salad bar!
2: Parents work and even when we're working from home it is impossible to spend quality time with them during work hours. They are far better off spending time with the great FCPS teachers who care about their development and with kids their own age learning to socialize and get along. I'm not going to address the looting and terrorizing bit because I don't engage in bad faith nonsense arguments.
3: Seriously? Pre-recorded teaching with online examination? More bad faith nonsense. If you don't think of educating kids in human/humane ways as a good use of tax money then maybe civilized society isn't for you? I'm sure if you hiked off into the woods and never paid any precious precious state and local taxes and were never heard from again you would feel very fulfilled and nobody would miss your mean, grumpy, hateful self. A win/win!
Right on Dave. I have spent almost zero time with my kid during working hours, and neither does my wife. None of that will change in the fall. In fact, we'll be worse off since we may be back in the office and will now need to pay for full time care to babysit a 6 year old while he "virtually learns." And I use those quotations extremely loosely.
A lot of parents have been put into crisis mode due to yesterday. Biting my tongue on a lot of what else u have to say and have said elsewhere as I try to transition my anger into more constructive uses, but yeah… this really blows.