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

Fairfax County school officials provide more details on return-to-school alternatives

An FCPS town hall with (from the left) Manager of School Health Services Lorraine Trouton, Superindent Scott Brabrand, and Assistant Superintendent Jeffrey Platenburg.  Fairfax County Public School officials have provided more information on options for the 2020-21 school year.    The following information is from two recent virtual town halls – a session on June 17 … Continued

FCPS weighs options for fall and for graduation

Signs like these are cropping up all over.  The Fairfax County School Board reviewed three possible scenarios for the 2020-21 school year at a May 11 work session.  Meanwhile, a state-level COVID-19 Education Task Force plans to issue policy guidance in June on the conditions for reopening schools.   The three possibilities considered for fall 2020 … Continued

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 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

Revised school budget reflects impact of COVID-19

A screen shot from a virtual school board work session April 9. From the left: school board chair Karen Corbett Sanders (Mount Vernon), Tamara Derenak Kaufax (Lee), Megan McLaughlin (Braddock), and Superintendent Scott Brabrand. Fairfax County Public Schools will have far less revenue and more expenses than previously anticipated, due to the coronavirus pandemic. As … Continued

School board candidate focuses solely on denying rights to transgender students

Tom Pafford Tom Pafford, a candidate to represent Mason District on the Fairfax County School Board, is laser-focused on one issue: He wants the school board to back away from promoting pro-transgender policies, such as allowing students to use the bathroom according to their gender identity. At a recent meeting with the Annandale blogger, Pafford … Continued

School board candidates discuss school boundary policy

School board candidates Karen Keys-Gamarra and Ricardy Anderson speak to Mason District residents. Mason District School Board candidate Ricardy Anderson and at-large school board candidate Karen Keys-Gamarra, who’s running for re-election, charge that critics of the board’s plan to re-examine its policy on school boundary changes are misguided and misinformed. Anderson and Keys-Gamarra discussed the issue … Continued

School calendar adopted for 2020-21

The Fairfax County School Board has adopted a calendar for the 2020-21 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools reports. The first day of school for students will be Tuesday, Aug. 25. The last day is Friday, June 11. Here are the highlights: There will be a three-day break for Thanksgiving – Nov. 25-27.  Winter break … Continued

Boundary adjustment process starts for Glen Forest

Glen Forest Elmentary School. Parents of children at Glen Forest Elementary School and community members are invited to a meeting to discuss a boundary adjustment that could possibly move some students to Bailey’s Primary, Bailey’s Upper, and Parklawn elementary schools. The meeting is June 10, 7 p.m., in the school cafeteria, 5829 Glen Forest Drive, Bailey’s … Continued