As the start date for Fairfax County Public Schools approaches, school officials are in the midst of developing metrics to guide how and when schools would reopen.
At a Fairfax County School Board meeting in late July, the board directed FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand to begin drafting preliminary metrics to inform decisions about school openings and closures.
School officials anticipate a spike in COVID-19 cases in the late fall during flu season. Another possibility is “recurring waves across many months until a vaccine is developed,” which could reflect a “loss of stamina” for strict social distancing precautions, according to FCPS documents.
The move comes in the absence of state or county level metrics on the issue. In a recent email, Melanie Meren, the school board member for the Hunter Mill District, said this step was taken due to lack of guidance from state officials on the issue.
“Therefore, the school board felt it was vital for FCPS to begin developing our own, because no one else was doing that for or with us,” Meren wrote.
The latest plan for reopening and closures notes that “multi-faceted metric and thresholds” will be used to guide decision-making.
School officials will take several factors into consideration based on community transmission and disease trends, which will determine if the level of community transmissions creates conditions for face-to-face transmission.
Other factors include operational metrics like the school system’s capacity to support in-person instruction, personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. Finally, school officials will also consider school metrics.
Until then, FCPS students are set to return to virtual classes on Tuesday, Sept. 8, right after Labor Day.
With the start of the new school year quickly approaching, the latest Fairfax County Public Schools town hall will focus how staff will support students with disabilities in a virtual learning environment.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand will talk to some of the school system’s special education staff.
“Staff members will explain what they do to support students with disabilities in Fairfax County and will talk about student engagement in the virtual environment, family partnerships, student support, and specialized instruction,” according to FCPS.
The town hall is set to run from 6-7 p.m. and will be livestreamed. People can submit questions in advance by emailing [email protected] or calling 1-800-231-6359 during the town hall.
Recently, Brabrand has held town halls on Wednesdays to talk about the plans for the virtual return to school and answer community members’ questions.
FCPS has a town hall about the return to school in Spanish scheduled for next Tuesday, Sept. 1, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., followed by a town hall on Wednesday, Sept. 2, on resources for parents.
Image via Fairfax County Public Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools created a technology-focused help desk to assist FCPS families starting school virtually in two weeks.
The Parent Technology Help Desk launched yesterday (Monday), FCPS announced. The school system also offers an online portal adults and older students can use to request tech help.
The help desk (833-921-3277) will be staffed between 7 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, according to FCPS. Callers can ask for an interpreters to join the call.
“If help desk staff members are unable to solve the issue, they will request help from the appropriate FCPS team,” according to FCPS.
Currently, the school system is working to distribute roughly 55,000 laptops to students. Before the first day of school (Tuesday, Sept. 8), families can expect teachers to hold virtual orientations and reach out to students.
Photo by Annie Spratt/Unsplash
As families, educators and school systems grapple with how to return to school during the coronavirus pandemic, some parents are turning to “learning pods” this fall.
Learning pods — also known as “pandemic pods” — are essentially micro-schools. Small groups of kids learn together in-person either from a tutor or parents.
A New York Times survey found that most of the families who said they plan to use learning pods said that they address both concerns about health risks at school and desire for in-person education.
Some local parents say that having multiple families chip in makes hiring a tutor more affordable and that the pods will make it easier for them to go back to work than if their kids were learning virtually.
However, the concept has raised questions about the wealth disparity with education.
Fairfax County Public Schools recently brought up concerns about “tutoring pods,” saying that the school system is declining requests from parents to have FCPS teachers lead their pods.
“While FCPS doesn’t and can’t control these private tutoring groups, we do have concerns that they may widen the gap in educational access and equity for all students,” the statement said. “Many parents cannot afford private instruction. Many working families can’t provide transportation to and from a tutoring pod, even if they could afford to pay for the service.”
Let us know in the poll and comments below what you think of learning pods.
Photo by Annie Spratt/Unsplash
Town Hall Tonight — Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand has been hosting weekly town halls to talk about the back-to-school plans and answer questions from the community. The town hall tonight will be live-streamed from 6-7 p.m. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Silent Auction Ends Today — The Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce started its virtual silent auction last Wednesday. Now, the event ends today at 11 p.m. So far, the auction has raised a little over $1,800, with the goal of hitting $2,500. [32auctions]
Blood Drive on Thursday — Inova is holding a blood drive at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Hall (400 Center Street S.) on Thursday from 1-7 p.m. [Inova]
Protest in McLean — “Youth activists gathered outside the McLean home of U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday morning, protesting what they called corruption in his role as the federal government’s top law enforcement officer.” [Patch]
Local Student Plays Golf Championship — “As one of the youngest players in the talented and experienced field, Kelly Chinn maintained a steady calm to record a strong finish during the 36-hole stroke-play portion of the 2020 men’s U.S. Amateur Golf Championship.” [Inside NoVa]
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand has no plans to furlough bus drivers and food service workers, despite the virtual start to school next month.
In a letter sent to the community last night (Monday), Brabrand said he plans to “keep our FCPS family 100 percent intact” as the school year begins. Bus drivers are set to return to work next Tuesday, Aug. 25. Some will deliver meals to specific locations or along select bus routes.
In other cases, the school system may provide other work assignments like facilities maintenance, student support and delivering books and supplies to schools.
Brabrand also said the school system is working on an alternative plan to keep all food service workers employed throughout the academic years. Funding for service food service employees, which primarily relies on the sale of food, has taken a major hit due to school closures.
Here’s more from Brabrand’s letter:
I’d like to thank our food service employees for your heroic efforts to provide grab and go meals for our families since our schools shut down in March. More than 2 million meals have been served so far. Food distribution will continue through the rest of summer break and once the school year begins.
A community survey is underway to determine meal demand for the upcoming school year. The results will determine if changes to the food striation schedule are warranted.
Other staff — including security guards and office employees — may also be asked to shuffle their job duties to support virtual learning.
The FCPS School Board is meeting today for a day-long work session to continue formalizing plans for the return to school.
Photo via FCPS
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) plans to hold a virtual job fair on Wednesday to hire educators.
The job fair is scheduled to take place in two sessions, with the first running from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and the second from 3-7 p.m.
People interested in participating are urged to learn about the school system, apply to open jobs and register for one or both sessions, which have attendance caps.
During the virtual job fair, job hunters will be able to chat one-on-one with HR or school representatives from FCPS.
FCPS has more than 90 job opportunities listed online. The majority of the open positions are for high school and middle school teachers.
Fairfax County Public Schools will have a virtual start to the year. But a program launched by Fairfax County will offer full-day, on-site programming for children in elementary and middle school.
The program, “Supporting Return to School,” aims to ensure that “all families have equitable access to the services they need to support children’s virtual learning,” according to the county.
Here’s more from the county on the initiative:
SRS will provide support for children’s active and engaged learning during the FCPS virtual academic day and promote children’s social, emotional and physical development. In addition to participating in distance learning, children will have opportunities to explore, engage, relax and enjoy activities that follow the SRS 2020-21 program curriculum, The Great Outdoors: Road Trips Through the Americas. What a perfect time for a virtual journey and to spend real time outdoors!
Enrollment begins on August 24 and space is limited. Each classroom will have a group of no more than 10 children who stay together every day. The program takes place on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in 37 FCPS schools.
A sliding fee scale is available for income-eligible families. Breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack will be provided.
Photo via Unsplash
More Delays for Dittmar’s Project in Tysons — “The Dittmar Co. is pushing back plans once again for its massive redevelopment of an old hotel site near the Greensboro Metro station in Tysons. The Arlington developer is asking Fairfax County for another delay for its Westpark Plaza project, proposing in late July to build a new public park, car storage and commercial parking space on the site as an interim use.” [Washington Business Journal]
McLean Company Lands Big Contract — “The U.S. Navy awarded McLean-based defense contractor Alion Science and Technology Corp. an $896 million contract to provide an integrated program to deliver a multidomain live, virtual and constructive training platform.The contract was awarded through the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) SeaPort-NxG multiple award contract.” [Virginia Business Monthly]
Feedback Sought on Grab and Go Meals — Fairfax County Public Schools are seeking feedback via a survey on its grab-and-go meal program for the next academic year. The survey will help the school system determine the best locations and bus routes for meal services. [FCPS]
Photo by Michelle Goldchain
Falls Church Officials Enact New Firearms Ordinance — “Culminating a grueling 5 hour, 15 minute virtual meeting Monday night, the Falls Church City Council voted unanimously, 6-0, to enact a ‘Firearms on City Property and Events’ ordinance that will go into effect Nov. 1.” [Falls Church News Press]
Women’s Suffrage Exhibit in Vienna — “The Freeman Store and Museum in Vienna is closed indefinitely because of the pandemic, but when it reopens, visitors to its ground-floor gallery can learn plenty about the women’s suffrage movement and how its victories benefited future generations of women.” [Inside NoVa]
Public Safety “Heroes” Visit Hospitalized Kids — “Patients at Inova Children’s Hospital in Fairfax received a superheroic visit Monday morning from a group of public safety heroes. Volunteers from the Fairfax County fire and police departments, as well as the Herndon Police Department, rappelled down the outside of the hospital building on Gallows Road and greeted patients through their hospital room windows.” [Patch]
ICYMI: FCPS Town Hall Tonight — “FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand will discuss the virtual return to school on Sep. 8 and address any questions. The event plans to run from 6-7 p.m.” [Tysons Reporter]
UPDATE – building fire in the 1000 block of Country Club Drive, NE in Vienna area: fire is out. No reported injuries at this time. Some units returning to service. #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/5kPfBdWHzr
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) August 12, 2020
Photo by Michelle Goldchain
