The Fairfax County School Board voted last week to approve a new policy that prioritizes full five-day school weeks throughout the year, confirms the length of spring and winter breaks, and sets a framework for the calendar year going forward.
After a tense discussion, the school board voted 8-4 on June 11 to approve a motion by Providence District member Karl Frisch revising an earlier draft of the policy.
A Senate committee and Virginia State Police have concluded their separate investigations into a Centreville High School teacher’s claims that school staff facilitated abortions without parental consent, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid said this week.
“Neither investigation found any evidence of wrongdoing or any need for further action,” Reid wrote in a letter to the school’s staff and families. “This situation has had a significant impact on all of those involved, and it reminds us of the responsibility we all share to act thoughtfully, with integrity, and compassionately as a caring, connected community.”
Seven years ago, Jonathan “Jack” Ham took his newly earned associate’s degree from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and stepped into the next phase of his life.
Then, on Monday morning (May 18), Dr. Ham — just 24 hours removed from having received his medical degree at the University of Virginia — stepped to the stage of EagleBank Arena in Fairfax to inspire NOVA’s Class of 2026.
The night before freshman orientation at George Mason University, 17-year-old Saniya Dilip Darediya sat in her room and cried.
Having just arrived in the U.S. from India, she recalled, “I was scared and afraid I might not belong here.”
A federal judge has dismissed a Centreville High School teacher’s lawsuit alleging retaliation and violations of whistleblower protection laws by Fairfax County Public Schools after she claimed that school staff helped minors obtain abortions.
In his memorandum opinion, issued May 8, Judge Anthony J. Trenga wrote that the teacher, Zenaida Perez, had “failed to plead facts which, when viewed most favorably to her, plausibly give rise to a claim for whistleblower retaliation.”
A union representing some Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) employees rallied yesterday (Tuesday) for restoration of pay, benefits and staffing levels negotiated last year but not funded by county leaders.
“We’re here to make sure the Board of Supervisors knows … they cannot leave the schools behind,” Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT) President Emily VanDerhoff said at the late-afternoon event, held in front of the Fairfax County Governmental Center.
Hoping to alleviate parents’ concerns about the frequency of disruptions this school year, the Fairfax County School Board has backed a calendar for the upcoming academic year that cuts down on the number of early-release days and nixes Veterans Day as a holiday.
At its meeting Thursday (April 9), the board debated the calendar for the upcoming school year in an effort to cut down on weeks with fewer than five days of classes.
As the current school year enters its final stretch, the Fairfax County School Board is considering tweaking the calendar for the next year in response to mounting complaints about disruptions to class schedules.
At the board’s meeting tomorrow (Thursday), members led by governance committee chair Melanie Meren will propose nixing Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Veterans Day as official student holidays and limiting the number of scheduled early release days to four per year.
Rising education and debt-service costs and the desire to retain a competitive pay scale have contributed to a proposed 4.5% increase in the City of Fairfax’s budget.
City Manager Daniel Alexander detailed a $207.5 million fiscal 2027 year spending package on Feb. 24 that includes a host of tax increases but no new or expanded programming.
Rather than go to war over about 1% of Fairfax County Public Schools’ budget request, county and school leaders are trying to forge a coalition that will press General Assembly members to provide the additional funding.
The Board of Supervisors and school board need to “be loud about the fact that we need help” from Richmond, School Board Chair Sandy Anderson (Springfield) said at a work session to discuss the county’s proposed budget on Tuesday (Feb. 24).
