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

A school board member answers questions about the Blackboard failure

Kindergarten teachers have a message for their students. [FCPS] The failure of Blackboard Learn 24-7 as a key piece of Fairfax County Public Schools’ distance learning program has raised many questions about how it happened and what the school system is doing to move forward. School board member Rachna Sizemore Heizer (at large), who has … Continued

FCPS IT chief steps down

Luftglass Maribeth Luftglass has stepped down from her job as head of IT at Fairfax County Public Schools, following the school system’s disastrous experience with distance learning, several news outlets report. Luftglass had been assistant superintendent of information and technology since 1999. Chief Operating Officer Marty Smith will take over the IT department on an … Continued

FCPS to drop Blackboard Learn 24-7

Following continued problems with distance learning technology, Fairfax County Public School Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced Monday night: “We are going to move away from Blackboard Learn 24-7 as a tool for face-to-face instruction.” After suspending distance learning last week due to problems with logging in and security, Brabrand assured the community on April 16 that … Continued

Schools and students continue to have problems with distance learning

The login page for distance learning. Despite assurances from Fairfax County school leaders that the problems with distance learning would be fixed when students log on today, there were still glitches. “We are continuing with distance learning today despite the continuing problems we are experiencing with Blackboard Learn (FCPS 24-7),” the school system announced this … Continued

FCPS apologizes for distance learning failure

Superintendent Scott Brabrand says distance learning will work properly this week. [FCPS] When distance learning starts up again Monday, April 20, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand assured the community and school board that the problems have been fixed. Distance learning initially started last Tuesday, but FCPS briefly suspended the program, then canceled it … Continued

Fairfax County schools went digital – with a few glitches

Teachers at Braddock Elementary School in Annandale were ready for online learning. Updated, April 15: FCPS announced “due to ongoing technical issues with the Blackboard 24/7 system, teacher-led instruction is canceled for the remainder of today, April 15. FCPS is working closely with the Blackboard technical team to address these issues. The first day of … Continued

Fairfax County school system to start distance learning for all students April 14

Caroline, a fifth-grader at Beech Tree Elementary School, found something productive to do while schools are closed. She is sewing face masks with help from her mother. She got the idea from Beech Tree mom Van Nguyen, who is making face masks for healthcare workers. [FCPS] Fairfax County Public Schools plans to begin distance learning … Continued

School news roundup

First-graders at Wakefield Forest Elementary School used teamwork to celebrate the 110th day of school The news items and photos here about schools in the Annandale/Mason District are from Fairfax County Public Schools or individual schools. Wind winners – Glasgow Middle School students Arthur Prudius and Darren Nguyen won the Dominion Energy KidWind Challenge. They … Continued

School news roundup

Second graders at Bailey’s Elementary School harvested lettuce, spinach, and radishes grown all winter in the school’s hoop tunnel garden.   The news items and photos here about schools in the Annandale/Mason District are from Fairfax County Public Schools or individual schools. Teaching acceptance – February is “Acceptance Month” at Camelot Elementary School. Administrators, teachers, counselors, … Continued

School news roundup

Students and parents gather at the Falls Church Academy’s second annual Healthcare College and Career Fair at Falls Church High School.   The news items and photos here focusing on schools in the Annandale/Mason District are from Fairfax County Public Schools or individual schools. Coding winners – Braddock Elementary School is one of two winners in … Continued

Summer internships available at Green Spring Gardens

Summer at Green Spring. College students are invited to apply for summer internships at Green Spring Gardens. Seven internships are available: horticulture, Virginia native plants, horticulture/plant shop, farmers market SNAP outreach, children’s education, historic resources, and invasive plant management at the White Gardens. Applicants must be enrolled in a two-year, four-year, or graduate program in … Continued

School news roundup

Members of Annandale High School’s Lady Atoms basketball teams read weekly to students at Braddock Elementary School.  The news items and photos here about schools in the Annandale/Mason District are from Fairfax County Public Schools or individual schools. Electric buses – Fairfax County Public Schools is adding eight electric school buses to its fleet. Dominion … Continued