FCPS delays in-person learning

A teacher greets a student at Weyanoke Elementary School in Annandale for the first day of in-person instruction for English language learners in October. [FCPS]

Young students who had been scheduled to return to school on Nov. 17 will have to keep learning at home for at least the next two weeks. 

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced Nov. 16 that the district is delaying additional in-person learning for the Group 5 cohort. Group 5 includes early Head Start, preK, kindergarten, and select students who receive special education services. Any new pilot programs and classes that were scheduled to start tomorrow will also pause.

This decision was made because the current health metrics for COVID-19 cases in the community now exceed the threshold to expand in-person learning, FCPS states. As a result, Group 5 will remain virtual until at least Nov. 30. 

Students and staff members who have been attending in-person classes (Groups 1-4) and existing pilots will continue to do so. “Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) allow us to keep small cohorts of students in schools,” Brabrand says.

Specific health metrics that guide FCPS decisions on when new groups of students can begin in-person instruction are posted online. These metrics also determine the criteria for if or when existing in-person instruction may need to be transitioned back to a virtual setting.

Brabrand will host a virtual Return to School Town Hall on Thursday, Nov. 19, 6 -7 p.m. The Town Hall can be viewed on the FCPS website. Questions can be submitted in advance to [email protected] or during the town hall at 1-800-231-6359.