Tag: schools
An early win for school boards in mask mandate suit
A judge with the Arlington County Circuit Court has granted a temporary restraining order Feb. 4 against Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s ban on mask mandates. The ruling by Judge Louise DiMatteo involves a lawsuit filed by seven school boards, including Fairfax County, Alexandria, Arlington County, Falls Church, Hampton Roads, Prince William County, and Richmond. Related … Continued
Schools try Test to Stay program
Seven Fairfax County schools, including Glasgow Middle School and Bailey’s Elementary School, began implementing the Test to Stay pilot program Jan. 31, Test to Stay (TTS) allows students who are close contacts to people who tested positive for Covid at school to stay in the classroom, rather than quarantine at home – if they take … Continued
More school holidays next year
The Fairfax County School Board adopted a calendar for the 2022-23 school year that adds four religious holidays. Schools will be closed next year on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Orthodox Good Friday, and Diwali. (Eid and Lunar New Year fall on a non-school day in 2022.) There will be 14 professional work days for educators. … Continued
Congressional School will help relieve traffic backups
The bottleneck on Sleepy Hollow Road in front of Congressional School during drop-off and pick-up times could eventually be resolved. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a funding agreement Jan. 25 that calls for the private school to contribute land rights for the Sleepy Hollow sidewalk project and pay up to $25,000 to widen … Continued
Public surveyed on superintendent search
Fairfax County Public Schools is seeking community input in the search for a new superintendent. The current superintendent, Scott Brabrand, announced in July, that he will leave FCPS when his contract expires at the end of the 2021-22 school year. GR Recruiting, the firm hired by the school board to conduct a nationwide search for … Continued
Viewpoint: A second attempt to create parking at Justice Park
The basketball court in Justice Park with the school in the background. By Nazir Bhagat Dec. 10 was the last day to respond to a survey about whether to build 67 parking spaces at Justice Park. School Board Member Ricardy Anderson (Mason) issued the survey, even though the proposal to build the parking lot had … Continued
FCPS reinstates books challenged by parents
Two books that had been subject to a formal challenge have been reinstated in Fairfax County Public School libraries. The books – Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison – had been temporarily removed following a complaint in September. Parents had charged the books were inappropriate in schools because of claims … Continued
School board member seeks feedback on Justice HS addition
A rendering of the Justice High School addition. [FCPS] School board member Ricardy Anderson (Mason) plans to put out a survey on Monday, Nov. 22, on Fairfax County Public Schools’ plan for the Justice High School addition project. Anderson announced the forthcoming survey in a Nov. 19 newsletter, which is sent to people who subscribe … Continued
School news roundup: escape room, vaccine clinics, and more
Students solve a problem in Jackson Middle School’s Escape Room. [FCPS] The following news items about schools in the Annandale/Mason District area are from Fairfax County Public Schools and individual schools. COVID vaccine clinics – Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 16, the Fairfax Health District and Fairfax County Public Schools will offer the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children … Continued
Congressional School breaks ground for new pool
Head of School Edwin Gordon speaks during the groundbreaking. [Congressional School] Congressional School broke ground Nov. 5 for a new aquatic center. The aquatic center will have a heated swimming pool with a water slide and diving board, a splash zone with water features, and a graduated beach entrance. It is expected to open in spring 2022.
FCPS to offer in-school Covid testing and vaccinations
Woodson High School students, like all students in Fairfax County, spend the day wearing masks. [FCPS] Fairfax County Public Schools plans to roll out a major Covid testing program next month and will begin offering in-school vaccinations after winter break. Superintendent Scott Brabrand outlined those plans at a school board work session on Nov. 19.
FCPS to seek rezoning and parking waiver for Justice HS
An illustration of the Justice High School addition. Fairfax County Public Schools has a new plan to construct a badly needed addition for Justice High School without using Justice Park for parking. Instead, FCPS would go through a rezoning process and would seek a waiver of Fairfax County’s parking requirement, said John McGranahan Jr., an … Continued
New historic marker commemorates James Lee Elementary School
Descendants of James Lee pull the cord to unveil a historic marker commemorating James Lee Elementary School. Alma Amaker, who attended James Lee Elementary School when it opened in 1948 in Falls Church, remembers it as the “very best concept of a neighborhood school.” Amaker spoke at the unveiling of a historic marker Oct. 2 … Continued
FCPS will not use Justice Park for parking
Community members gather on the spot in Justice Park where the parking lot was proposed for a presentation Sept. 18 on the Black families displaced when the park was created. In a huge victory for community members, Fairfax County Public Schools has backed away from creating a parking lot in Justice Park to accommodate the … Continued
Virtual learning to be available for quarantined students
Students at Columbia Elementary School in Annandale eat lunch outside. Tents have been set up at many schools for instruction and meals in an effort to limit physical contact indoors. [FCPS] Fairfax County Public Schools plans to provide virtual learning to students who are paused, quarantined, or isolated due to COVID-19. The new system, called … Continued