Countywide

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.


Countywide

Cell phone bans will be strengthened at Virginia’s K-12 schools after a bill from a Fairfax County state senator was signed into law.

The bill tightening restrictions from state Sen. Stella Pekarsky (D-36) was signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) last week and will take effect on July 1.


Countywide

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.


News

Fairfax County leadership is sticking with plans for a sidewalk project near Justice High School that critics say is duplicative and would be destructive to the environment.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) expects to begin work in June on 825 linear feet of 5-foot-wide sidewalk between Mansfield Road near Justice Park and the cul-de-sac at Peace Valley Lane in the Lake Barcroft area south of Seven Corners.


News

The federal government has launched an investigation of its own into allegations that a Fairfax High School student groped multiple female students.

The U.S. Department of Education announced yesterday (Monday) on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that it’s opening an investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools “following reports from 12 high school girls who have credibly accused one male student — an illegal immigrant — of sexual assault.”


News

Two school board members have proposed a new way for Fairfax County Public Schools to add revenue: selling the naming rights to school athletic facilities.

Introduced as “new business” last week, a motion directing Superintendent Michelle Reid to develop a plan to accommodate such negotiations is set to be voted on by the full Fairfax County School Board at its meeting tomorrow (Thursday).


Countywide

As Fairfax County Public Schools officials develop a policy regulating the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom, some parents worry the division is already too reliant on technology.

Several parents expressed concerns about technology use to the Fairfax County School Board during its meeting last Thursday (March 19).


News

Fairfax County Public Schools is planning its own investigation separate from the police into allegations that a Fairfax High School student groped multiple female students, Superintendent Michelle Reid announced.

In a letter sent on Monday (March 23) to families, Reid said that FCPS had retained the services of “an independent outside law firm to conduct a comprehensive review of this matter.”


News

The Braddock District’s newest representative on the Fairfax County School Board has officially taken office.

Tom Dannan, who defeated GOP-endorsed Saundra Davis earlier this month, was formally sworn in prior to last night’s board meeting. He replaces Rachna Sizemore Heizer, and will serve the remainder of a term that ends in 2027.


News

A former chair of the Fairfax County School Board’s budget committee will return to the panel after a judge tossed out a complaint accusing him of embezzling $175,000 from a company he was a part owner of.

Kyle McDaniel, who served as the budget committee chair for 10 months before stepping down last April, is expected to be appointed vice chair of the committee when the school board meets tonight (Thursday), according to the meeting agenda.


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