Fairfax County superintendent floats a revised schedule for in-person learning

The Mason Crest Tiger and school staff hand out school supplies at the Annandale elementary school.

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand presented a draft revised timeline for in-person learning to the school board on Jan. 21. The board will discuss the new plan at its Feb. 2 work session.

Here are the tentative back-to-school dates:

Virginia High School League activities and high school co-curricular activities – Jan. 26.
Intervention cohorts: Elementary, middle, and high school – Jan. 26.
Groups 1-4: 8,000 students in special education and career and technical education – Feb. 16.
Group 5: 7,000 students in prekindergarten and special education – Feb. 23.
Group 6: 13,000 students in grades 1 and 2 – March 9.
Group 7: 27,500 students in grades 3-6 – March 16.
Group 8: 24,000 students in grades 8, 9, and 12 and eighth-graders at Poe, Glasgow, and Holmes middle schools – March 2.
Group 8: 24,000 students in grades 7, 10, and 11 and grades 6 and 7 at Poe, Glasgow, and Holmes – March 9.

Brabrand had presented an earlier back-to-the-classroom schedule at a school board session on Jan. 5 which called for all students to return to in-person learning by Feb. 9. School board members agreed to hold off on that plan until there is more information on the availability of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers.

Since that meeting, teachers and other school staff have been approved for COVID vaccinations as part of group 1b. According to the Fairfax County Health Department, all school staff who want a vaccine will be able to receive the first dose from Inova Health System within the next three weeks.

So far, Brabrand announced, almost 22,000 FCPS employees – nearly 90 percent of total staff – have signed up for the vaccine and nearly 5,000 have already received their first dose.

Anyone who has been exposed to COVID will still need to quarantine, even if they’ve been vaccinated. As a result, when schools reopen, it will still be important to maintain distancing and wear masks.

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