education | FFXnow

Published February 25, 2025 at 8:15AM

Woman types on smartphone (via freestocks/Unsplash)

Virginia school boards may soon have more control over how cell phones and smart devices are governed in classrooms. Legislation granting local districts the authority to craft their own policies cleared the General Assembly on Friday and now heads to Gov. Glenn Youngkin for consideration.

House Bill 1961, introduced by Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, and its companion measure, Senate Bill 738 by Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax, comes amid growing concerns over the impact of smartphones on children’s health. While research has linked excessive phone use to adverse effects on students’ well-being, advocates also recognize the role devices play in providing educational resources and communication tools.

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Fairfax County School Board considers adding more student representatives

By Scott McCaffrey

Published February 18, 2025 at 9:00AM

Fairfax County School Board student representative Megan Sawant speaks during a board meeting on Dec. 5, 2024 (via FCPS)

Fairfax County School Board members are mulling whether to increase the number of student representatives on the body.

The proposal, currently in the exploratory stage, is part of a broader push toward more direct engagement with the 180,000-plus students enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools.

Countywide

School funding showdown looms as legislature sends sales tax bill to Youngkin again

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published February 14, 2025 at 3:00PM

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announces Alarm.com expansion in Tysons in February 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

For the fourth consecutive year, Virginia lawmakers have sent the governor a bill allowing all localities to impose a 1% sales tax for school construction. Now, all eyes are on Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has vetoed similar measures before.

Youngkin, who has historically opposed these tax proposals, will once again review the legislation. After the last session, he blocked the measure, citing the state’s existing efforts to fund school construction and concerns over its impact on taxpayers.

Countywide

DEVELOPING: FCPS facing federal investigation over transgender policies

By James Jarvis

Published February 14, 2025 at 2:15PM | Updated February 14, 2025 at 3:24PM

A community member waves an LGBTQ pride flag at the rally protesting Virginia's model policies on transgender students (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Several Northern Virginia school districts, including Fairfax County Public Schools, are in the crosshairs of the U.S. Department of Education after a conservative legal group filed a complaint challenging their transgender-inclusive bathroom and locker room policies.

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened an investigation this week into Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Loudoun and Prince William schools in response to the complaint from America First Legal, a nonprofit founded by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller.

News

Saudi private school in Herndon to shut down, surprising families

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 13, 2025 at 1:15PM

King Abdullah Academy in Herndon, soon to become a Fairfax County public high school (via Google Maps)

The current school year will be the last official one for King Abdullah Academy.

After close to a decade in the Herndon area, the Islamic private school announced in late January that it will close for good after the 2024-2025 academic year, citing challenges with identifying a “viable financial path to self-sustainability.”

News

Local early childhood education center reels from federal funding uncertainty

By James Jarvis

Published February 10, 2025 at 3:45PM

Sen. Tim Kaine walks with High Horizons Executive Director Latisha Howze (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Trump administration’s freeze on federal grants and loans has left early childhood education programs like Higher Horizons in Bailey’s Crossroads facing financial uncertainty, even after a court ruled the funding must resume.

On Friday (Feb. 7), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) met with staff and educators at the nonprofit Head Start provider to discuss the lingering effects of the freeze, which was triggered by a White House directive pausing federal aid while the administration reviewed how the funds align with its policy goals.

Countywide

Fairfax County might ask voters to approve funding for early childhood education facilities

By Scott McCaffrey

Published January 31, 2025 at 2:30PM

A preschool kid drawing (via Gabe Pierce/Unsplash)

Fairfax County leaders anticipate asking voters to support funding this fall for early childhood education facilities.

Details of the potential standalone bond referendum, including the proposed dollar amount and projects to be supported, will come when County Executive Bryan Hill unveils his fiscal year 2026 budget and related capital-improvement program on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

News

Reston math teacher honored with top U.S. award for STEM education

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 17, 2025 at 11:15AM

Math teacher Emily Burrell works with South Lakes High School students (courtesy Fairfax County Public Schools)

A math teacher at South Lakes High School has been recognized by the White House as one of the best science and math educators in the country.

Emily Burrell, who has taught at the Reston school for a decade, is among 336 teachers and mentors to receive this year’s Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), which are considered the U.S. government’s highest honor for K-12 math, science, engineering and technology teachers.

News

Private girls’ school in McLean celebrates record $60M donation

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 16, 2025 at 11:15AM

The Madeira School in McLean (courtesy The Madeira School)

A gift from The Madeira School’s past will enable it to plan for the future, the head of the private, all-girls’ school in McLean says.

The Madeira School, a college preparatory and boarding school that serves students in grades 9 through 12, announced this week that an anonymous former graduate has donated $60 million — a record amount not only for this 118-year-old school, but for any independent girls’ school in the U.S.

Countywide

Legislation to translate K-12 assessments into multiple languages advances in Virginia

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published January 15, 2025 at 9:45AM

A student takes a school test (via Ben Mullins on Unsplash)

Virginia students would be allowed to take the state’s annual learning assessments in a language other than English under a bill that advanced out of a House Education subcommittee on Tuesday.

Del. Laura Jane Cohen, D-Fairfax, introduced the legislation, after the Virginia Board of Education recently made changes to include more testing results from English learners, who have typically been excluded because of the language barrier, into a school’s accountability calculations.