A Lake Braddock Secondary School art teacher spent 30 years sharing her passion for painting, photography, and pottery with students — a legacy that her family has carried on for nearly a decade through whimsical, often high-tech educational creations.
When Theresa Jacobs passed away from a fast-growing cancer in 2017, her son Eric Jacobs, a Fairfax County native, wanted to honor her love for learning and ignite that same spark in others.
The Fairfax County School Board recently voted to confirm calendars for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years that emphasize full five-day instructional weeks, while preserving a full week of spring break and two full weeks of winter break.
Superintendent Michelle Reid proposed calendars last Thursday (July 9) that maintain the 180 instructional days required by Virginia law and follow extensive parameters passed by the board earlier this summer. The school board adopted the proposal on a 10-1 vote.
Fairfax County’s school board recently passed a resolution supporting limitations on screen time and access to devices by grade level, as well as opt-out options for families.
On the same night, members voted to approve a one-year extension of a contract for a hybrid fourth-grade social studies curriculum, covering an electronic book text, the ability to replace print textbooks as needed, and supplemental materials that can be printed.
Northern Virginia leaders are treading cautiously with newly granted power to increase the sales tax in local jurisdictions.
Under the biennial state budget adopted in Richmond late last month, Northern Virginia localities now have the power to hold voter referendums to increase sales taxes by up to 1%, with the extra funding going to transportation, education or a combination.
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.
