School Schedule — “Gov. Ralph Northam is expected on Tuesday to address school reopening, something he had initially planned to do last week. The announcement will give more guidance to school districts and colleges across the state that have been moving forward with their own plans to return.” [Richmond Times-Dispatch]
Protest Photos — “A series of demonstrations took place in and around the City of Falls Church over the weekend to protest the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Evictions Paused — “Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday a temporary statewide moratorium on all eviction proceedings in Virginia.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Statue Staying? — “A Virginia judge has issued an 10-day injunction that prevents Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration from removing an iconic but controversial statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond.” [USA Today]
Tysons DMV Has Reopened — Starting today, the location at 1968 Gallows Road will be open by appointment only from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. [Patch]
More Outdoor Areas Open at Public Schools — “In accordance with Fairfax County’s Phase 1 reopening guidelines, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is reopening additional outdoor areas on school grounds to the community, effective Friday, May 29. Reopening on May 29 will be athletic fields (for walking and recreational use from 8 a.m. to sundown) and gardens.” [FCPS]
Art Aid — “ARTSFAIRFAX [Thursday] announced $100,000 in available funding through the newly created Emergency Relief and Recovery Grant Program. Funding will provide critical support to Fairfax County and the Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church arts organizations and Fairfax County individual artists most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The online grant application… closes on June 29, 2020.” [Patch]
Public Hearing on Controversial Zoning Code Tonight — “The Vienna Town Council plans to hold a public hearing on Monday about what to do about the contentious Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone.” [Tysons Reporter]
Phase 2 May Start Soon — “Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday that more of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions could be lifted as soon as June 5… Northern Virginia leaders said earlier this week they’d be interested in moving to Phase Two at the same time as the rest of the state.” [Inside NoVa]
Booze Delivery? — “At some point in the near future, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority is hoping to execute the first home liquor delivery in its 86-year history.” [Inside NoVa]
As the Louise Archer Elementary School gears up for a renovation, the Vienna Planning Commission supports keeping temporary facilities at the school for a few more years.
Currently, there are two trailers and one 66-foot by 180-foot modular at the public school (324 Nutley Street NW).
The permits for the facilities are expected to expire later this year unless town officials grant an extension. Last night’s votes were a step in the direction for the temporary facilities to stay in place for the short-term.
The school used to have eight trailers before the modular replaced five of them.
“[The modular] provides additional capacity to alleviate the overcrowding at the school,” according to town documents, adding that the modular houses 10 classrooms, restrooms and storage and maintenance space.
The school is now poised for a renovation that will get rid of the two trailers and modular entirely.
John McGranahan, a lawyer representing Fairfax County Public Schools, told the Planning Commission last night that the planning and design for the renovation are in progress.
Permitting is slated to begin in 2021, followed by three years of construction from 2022-2025, McGranahan said, noting that the school will remain open while the work is underway and that most of the construction will happen during the summers.
The renovation is expected to be completed by August 2025. The trailers and modular would get removed once the work is finished, McGranahan said.
The Planning Commission voted in support of permits continuing the use of the modular for five years and the trailers for two years.
Image via Town of Vienna
Municipal Finances Spotlighted in Vienna — The Washington Post focused on how Vienna is responding to the financial crisis from the pandemic. [Washington Post]
Tysons Fintech Company Now Under Goldman Sachs — “The acquisition represents the culmination of discussions that started in 2019 and the closing, while subject to regulatory approval, is expected in the third quarter of 2020… The acquisition of Folio by Goldman Sachs brings together two leading financial services firms for the continuing benefit of our clients and business partners.” [Folio Financial]
Virtual Job Fair — “Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the largest school system in Virginia, is searching for educators with a strong academic background and a passion to make a difference in the lives of students during the 2020-21 school year. Principals will meet and engage with candidates at the FCPS Virtual Instructional Job Fair on Tuesday, May 26, Wednesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 28.” [FCPS]
ICYMI: Tysons Corner Center is Back Open — “Shoppers can find more than take-out from restaurants at Tysons Corner Center now that the mall is back open.” [Tysons Reporter]
Polling Patience — “[T]hose who will be voting in person at the Vienna Community Center will have to jump through a few more hoops and will not have the chance to mingle with the candidates on-site. Voters should be patient expect a slower-than-normal process, election officials said. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.” [Inside NoVa]
Summer School — “Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will continue distance learning for students during the summer along with targeted intervention services. Virtual learning for students this summer is based on current Fairfax County Health Department guidelines for social distancing and guidance from the state that school buildings remain closed in July.” [FCPS]
State Data No Longer Includes Antibody Tests — “On Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health announced they would no longer include the results of antibody tests in their overall data, though officials stressed that its inclusion did not significantly alter the trends that aided the governor in making the decision to reopen. About 15,000 antibody tests had been included, making up about nine percent of the overall testing number.” [DCist]
Public Libraries to Soon Offer New Services — “FCPL is preparing to begin offering contactless pickup of holds or staff selections on Monday, June 1.” [FCPL/Facebook]
With uncertainty about the future of social distancing requirements and community health guidelines, Fairfax County Public School Board members are discussing what the upcoming fall semester might look like for teachers and students.
Though they said they won’t be making an official decision until the June meeting, board members bounced around ideas for online schedules and smaller class sizes at a work session on Monday (May 11).
The main concerns for the board include how to respect social distancing measures, how to help students who might not be able to return due to health concerns for themselves or their family, training for teachers and staff and finally how to ensure the continued quality of education, according to a slideshow shared at the work session.
Given current conditions, though, the board said it is looking at several possible options for the fall semester and is waiting to make a final decision until it has more guidance.
“We lack clarity around the time and conditions we might return under,” said Sloan Presidio, FCPS Superintendent. “We are hoping to get that clarity from the state in the coming weeks.”
The first possibility would be to begin the school year virtually using distance learning, giving faculty to revise schedules and curriculum that “best-fits students needs.”
To help with child care services and other needs that are usually fulfilled with in-person education, Presidio suggested that FCPS would work with faith-based organizations and similar institutions to fill the gap.
Yet another scenario would be returning to school in the fall, but with social distancing guidelines.
“That would require us to serve students based on their needs,” Presidio said, adding that priority would be given to students who would benefit the most from in-person instruction. Examples include students with learning disabilities or students learning English as a second language.
He also noted that it is easier for middle school and high school students to transition online than for elementary school students who have shorter attention spans.
Melanie K. Meren, Hunter Mill District Representative voiced concern at the meeting over the best ways to build communities for younger students, who are familiar with touch and play in their learning process.
“I would like to have more information about how we are going to acclimate our youngest learners to school,” she said.
A final scenario would be fully returning to a normal school schedule and offering online enrollment opportunities for students who wish to stay home, according to the meeting documentation.
Ricardy Anderson, a Mason District Board Member also suggested that schools send out a survey to parents, asking if they would let their students return to school regardless of FCPS’s decision — so FCPS could plan ahead and offer a more advanced online learning opportunities and partnerships.
Karen Keys-Gamarra an at-large board member also suggested that FCPS should work harder to communicate plans with parents and said that better channels of communication would “relieve anxiety” that many people are currently feeling.
Going forward, Anderson said FCPS must develop a “robust infrastructure” to guide online learning.
For a worst-case scenario, FCPS is also working on a plan if, for whatever reason, students would have to once again transition back into distance learning.
To help with the mental welfare of students in the coming months, regardless of in-person or online instruction, the board said they want to implement a stronger social-emotional learning plan.
“That is foundational to everything else we want to do academically,” one of the board members said.
The cost of the program would cost roughly $7 million according to the documentation at the meeting, which when broken down includes roughly $1 million for development of the curriculum, another $1 million for the screening tools and the remaining $5 million for new staffers and instructors.
Photo via Element5 Digital on Unsplash
While seniors at public schools in Fairfax County may have to wait until the fall for ceremonies, they will have opportunities this spring to celebrate finishing high school.
In a message to families yesterday, Superintendent Scott Brabrand shared that the school board has agreed to his proposals on how to recognize graduating seniors.
“We are committed to celebrating our seniors in the safest and most personalized manner possible,” Brabrand said. “We share the disappointment that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school closure placed on our senior class.”
Instead of in-person ceremonies this spring, the high schools will schedule individual graduate photo opportunities starting in June where the student and a small group of family members can watch the student get their diploma and have their photo taken.
Fairfax County Public Schools also plans to produce a celebration video with videos submitted by students. Brabrand said that the video will be available for free to everyone in the class of 2020.
If COVID-19 does not pose a health risk in the fall, each school may schedule an in-person ceremony, Brabrand said.
He noted that state health department data indicates that summer ceremonies would “pose too many health risks and too much uncertainty with regard to social distancing requirements and restrictions on large gatherings.” More details will be announced around Labor Day.
“If a fall in-person ceremony cannot be held for health and safety reasons, then we will consider scheduling the face to face ceremony in the winter or next spring,” Brabrand said.
Photo via Tai’s Captures/Unsplash
Battle of the Books — “The Cunningham Park Elementary seventh annual (and first virtual) Battle of the Books took place on Friday, May 8, on Google Meet.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Student Turns Home Into Mask Factory — “13-year-old Sasha used her sewing skills to transform fabric, elastic, and lots of passion into 225 face masks for 911 first responders in Fairfax County. As the self-appointed project foreman, Sasha, a Cooper Middle School student, manned the sewing machine while her parents mostly helped cut and pin fabric.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]
Cha-ching for the Cleaners — “In Tysons, Bearfoot Ventures has branched out from mostly health care facilities to a broader base of buildings, ranging from foreign embassies to senior living facilities and commercial office spaces, said CEO Jeb Byrne… Byrne estimates Bearfoot is on a trajectory to boost annual revenue from about $1 million in 2019 to top $5 million over the next eight to 12 months.” [Washington Business Journal]
New Grant Program for Small Businesses — “The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted [yesterday] to create the Fairfax Relief Initiative to Support Employers (Fairfax RISE). Fairfax RISE is a new $25 million grant program to assist small businesses and nonprofits affected by COVID-19. The program will be funded using federal CARES Act funds provided to the county.” [Fairfax County]
Scavenger Hunt in Vienna — “In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Eric Monday Foundation collaborated with the Town of Vienna to create a #TakeDownTheStigma Scavenger Hunt to encourage families to walk on the trails.” [Eric Monday Foundation]
Officers from our McLean District station and Motor Carrier Safety had the privilege of hosting a parade along with @ffxfirerescue at Iliff Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. This was a fun and joyful way of showing support for the patients and staff at the center! #FCPD pic.twitter.com/zv6fYwiUGo
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) May 12, 2020
A Fairfax County School Board member says that 14 trailers at McLean High School will soon get replaced with a modular unit to help address overcrowding issues.
Elaine Tholen, the school board member who represents the Dranesville District, said in her newsletter yesterday that the school board is looking to add a 12-classroom unit and bathrooms outside the school building. Tholen called the plan “an effort to alleviate some of the overcrowding issues.”
School officials’ consideration of a boundary change for the school, which is at 118% capacity, with nearby Langley High School has stalled as the public school system grapples with changes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tholen reiterated in her newsletter that plans to implement the proposed boundary change this fall will no longer happen.
“As soon as we can figure out the best way to have public meetings to move forward on the boundary scoping process, those meetings will continue,” she said.
Now, the modular idea will be on the consent agenda for the school board’s upcoming meeting on May 7, Tholen said. Following the meeting, families in the McLean and Langley pyramids can expect a note, she added.
“We will continue to analyze development numbers and enrollment figures for McLean High School to monitor the need for an addition to the school,” Tholen said.
This op-ed was submitted by Fairfax GOP Chairman Steve Knotts, on April 13. It does not reflect the opinions of Tysons Reporter. We publish op-eds and letters to the editor of specific interest to the Tysons community. Contributions may be edited for length or content.
On March 13, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) closed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak; and Gov. Ralph Northam’s March 30 stay-at-home order has closed all schools in Virginia for the remainder of the academic year. While we have all exhausted the adjectives necessary to describe the coronavirus crisis in our nation, extended and unexpected school closures should be nothing new for FCPS.
One month into the coronavirus outbreak, FCPS has left parents wondering why one of the “top school districts in the country” is failing to lead the way in distance learning.
Snowmaggedon: History Repeats
In 2010, the blizzard dubbed Snowmaggedon crippled Northern Virginia and resulted in FCPS losing 10 days of school. That extended closure led many to call for plans for distance learning if such a catastrophic event were to ever happen again. But what planning has taken place over those ten years?
When formulating its plan for learning during this pandemic, the school board assumed that many homes only have one computer available, necessitating the alternating of instructional sessions by division (elementary, middle, and high school). However, limiting virtual class hours to 9:15-11:15 a.m. and 12:15-2:15 p.m. creates artificial bottlenecks for instruction.
Why not try to create “shifts” where elementary students would be online in the morning; middle schoolers learn during the midday hours; and high schoolers participate in their classes in the late afternoon or evening hours? Or failing that, why not make lessons available for streaming on demand –thus allowing families to determine a schedule that works best for them? Why do teachers need all of Monday, March 16, for planning? Why did FCPS still observe spring break?
Difficult times call for creative solutions, not rote adherence to practices that don’t apply to the new paradigm.
One Fairfax: A Failed Policy
On November 20, 2017, the school board adopted “a joint social and racial equity policy” called One Fairfax. This policy requires the Board to consider “equity” in the decision-making for all policies, programs, and services.
As the school board struggles to provide identical access for all students, they are delaying educational instruction to all students. The distance learning plan called for instruction to resume on April 14.
Parents disappointed with the lack of academic content will search out any means available to foster their student’s education. Families that can afford private online programs and tuition-based homeschool curricula will pursue those options, and their children will continue to advance academically. Families who are not financially able to purchase the education their children need will fall behind.
Distance Learning
Fairfax County ranks as the 10th largest public school system in the U.S., with over 188,000 students currently enrolled. Our student population presents a tremendous challenge, but FCPS has had ample time to train teachers and staff in the implementation of virtual meeting technologies, which are very easy to use.
All FCPS high school students were issued laptops at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year as part of the FCPSOn initiative. That portion of the student population should have been immediately ready for distance learning. The primary challenge to distance learning is home internet access.
Every school year, parents are required to fill out FCPS’s emergency care form, which includes a question about the type of internet access in the home and whether or not the family has “a device for this student that meets their educational needs.” On the first day of the coronavirus crisis, FCPS should have known exactly how many students lacked access to the internet and distance learning technologies.
FCPSOn: Wasted Dollars
A central requirement of the FCPSOn initiative is that all high school students have a laptop issued by Fairfax County. The money saved by allowing students to provide their own laptops would have allowed FCPS to purchase and distribute the crucial wireless routers for internet access that are currently the main issue stalling the distance learning plan.
The Result
This is unquestionably the most difficult challenge our county schools have ever faced. However, smarter planning by the school board and staff, wiser allocation of funds and better utilization of technology should allow us to manage the delivery of education more successfully.
The One Fairfax quest for “equity” is resulting in mediocrity.
Photo via Steve Knotts for FCRC Chairman/Facebook
