Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Brabrand defends mask mandate

Speaking at a virtual town hall Jan. 24, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand said he hopes FCPS will get to the point where masks are optional, but “now is not the time.” FCPS is working with health officials to develop a “roadmap” laying out the health metrics for determining when masks are no … Continued

FCPS will notify parents about the importance of safe gun storage

Secure gun storage could help prevent school shootings, like the recent one at Oxford High School in Michigan. [Jake May/Flint Journal] Fairfax County Public Schools will notify parents and guardians about Virginia’s secure firearm safety law, Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced Dec. 16.  FCPS will also inform parents about why secure storage is essential and other … Continued

School news roundup: A COVID update and a different kind of board meeting

FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand and school members visit Columbia Elementary School in Annandale on the first of school on Aug. 23. From the left: school board member Rachna Sizemore Heizer (at large), school board member Ricardy Anderson (Mason), Brabrand, and Columbia Principal Michael Astudillo. The following news items are from Fairfax County Public Schools and … Continued

FCPS Superintendent Brabrand announces departure

Brabrand Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced July 15 that he will be leaving FCPS at the end of the 2021-22 school year when his contract expires. Brabrand, a career changer who was inspired by doing volunteer work in the schools, began his career in FCPS as a social studies teacher in 1994. … Continued

FCPS offers more details on the return to in-person learning

School staff prepare for the return to school. [Photos from an FCPS video] Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand offered more details on the return-to-school process at a town hall on Feb. 10.  Groups of students will return to school buildings on a phased-in schedule, starting with certain special education and career and technical … Continued

Fairfax County School Board approves return-to-school plan

A COVID vaccination clinic for school employees at Inova. [Karen Bolt/FCPS] The Fairfax County School Board on Feb. 2 approved an updated timeline for students returning to school for in-person learning beginning Feb. 16. Under this timeline, presented by Superintendent Scott Brabrand, all students would return by March 16.  Students have been learning at home … Continued

Fairfax County School Board delays in-person instruction

Staff at Poe Middle School prepare new books for delivery to students’ homes. [FCPS] The Fairfax County School Board agreed to pause Superintendent Scott Brabrand’s updated plan for returning all students to in-person learning.  Under Brabrand’s proposal, presented at a school board work session Jan. 5, students in groups 1-4 (certain special education and career and … Continued

Fairfax County school board considers revised proposals for TJ

TJ students in the school’s robotics lab. [File photo] The Fairfax County School Board is considering two revised proposals for changing the admissions process to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.  The board has been discussing TJ admissions for months in response to concerns that the current system for the elite school discriminates … Continued

Increase in COVID cases could delay the return to school, FCPS superintendent says

Employees at the FCPS Forte Support Center in Springfield prepare plexiglass shields for delivery to schools. [FCPS] As COVID cases rise in Fairfax County, Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand is rethinking the schedule for bringing more students back for in-person learning.  Brabrand told the community at a virtual town hall Nov. 19 that he understands families … Continued