Fairfax County Public Schools

Published October 16, 2024 at 3:45PM | Updated October 16, 2024 at 5:57PM

Superintendent Michelle Reid (staff file photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County Public Schools leaders don’t appear to be losing sleep over three of the district’s nearly 200 schools failing to meet full accreditation standards.

While 192 county schools have been fully accredited for this school year by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Justice High School in Lake Barcroft and Sandburg and Whitman middle schools in Fort Hunt and Hybla Valley, respectively, were rated “accredited with conditions” due to shortcomings in reported student achievement levels.

Countywide

FCPS launches clinics to immunize 9,000 still-unvaccinated students

By James Jarvis

Published October 1, 2024 at 9:00AM

FCPS Central Office in Falls Church (staff photo by James Jarvis)

With the 2024-2025 school year in full swing, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is still working to get thousands of students up to date on their required vaccinations.

FCPS officials reported last week that over 9,000 students — down from 29,000 in July — still need vaccinations against diseases like measles, polio and meningitis, potentially putting their enrollment at risk. The division has approximately 181,000 enrolled students for this year, as of September, according to FCPS data.

Countywide

FCPS concerned by increase in ‘hoax’ threats on social media

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 30, 2024 at 12:45PM | Updated September 30, 2024 at 1:19PM

Fairfax County Public Schools school bus (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County police have determined that a threat on social media involving a potential shooting at Glasgow Middle School was unfounded, the latest in a growing trend that has families, schools and law enforcement nationwide on edge.

Glasgow administrators first alerted parents via text around 8:45 a.m. that a social media threat was being shared around the school, prompting them to call the police and other agencies for an investigation.

Countywide

FCPS superintendent named one of N. Va.’s most influential people

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 19, 2024 at 2:30PM

Superintendent Michelle Reid (staff file photo by James Jarvis)

The superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools is the second-most influential person in Northern Virginia — just behind occasional-FCPS-critic Gov. Glenn Youngkin, according to a new ranking.

Northern Virginia Magazine awarded Dr. Michelle Reid the no. 2 spot in its newly released list of the 50 Most Influential People in Northern Virginia, highlighting her efforts to guide the state’s largest public school system through the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Countywide

FCPS leaders criticize state’s new school evaluation system, citing resource gaps

By James Jarvis

Published September 9, 2024 at 3:30PM

The Fairfax County Public Schools administrative center in Merrifield (file photo)

Fairfax County school officials fear Virginia’s new accreditation system could disproportionately harm schools with large populations of English learners and students with disabilities.

Adopted last month by the Virginia Board of Education, the School Performance and Support Framework places more weight on standardized test scores and graduation rates — a move state officials argue will hold schools to higher educational standards and improve accountability.

News

Donated ‘learning garden’ unveiled at Centreville elementary school

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 6, 2024 at 11:30AM

Centre Ridge Elementary School students install a learning garden (courtesy Cox Enterprises)

Going forward, Centre Ridge Elementary School will incorporate vegetables into the classroom as well as the cafeteria, thanks to a newly installed garden.

A “learning garden” from the nonprofit Captain Planet Foundation was unveiled at the Centreville school yesterday (Thursday). Built by a group of sixth-grade students and donated by Cox Enterprises, the conglomerate that owns the broadband company Cox Communications, the vegetable and herb garden will serve as an educational tool, while also providing access to produce.

News

UPDATED: Reston man charged with unlawfully filming FCPS students

By Angela Woolsey and James Jarvis

Published September 4, 2024 at 1:30PM | Updated September 4, 2024 at 2:43PM

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid and Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis discuss an investigation into a former FCPS contractor who allegedly filmed students (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County police have filed new charges against a Reston man who was already facing sexual assault and child porn allegations.

Arturo Elmore-Adon, 25, was charged yesterday (Tuesday) with seven counts of unlawful filming after detectives found videos he had allegedly taken of four girls, all of them Fairfax County Public Schools students, the Fairfax County Police Department announced today.

Countywide

Test results shared by state were misleading, FCPS superintendent says

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 27, 2024 at 9:30AM | Updated September 9, 2024 at 12:50PM

Fairfax County Public Schools (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools is giving the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) a demerit for its recent reveal of annual student test scores.

The results released last week omitted assessments outside of the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests that students take statewide, creating a misleading impression of how FCPS is doing, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said in an Aug. 23 letter to state officials, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Countywide

Virginia students make some gains on annual test scores; schools see less absenteeism

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published August 21, 2024 at 10:30AM

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

Virginia students’ reading and math assessments for the 2023-24 school year saw some improvement over last year after months of recovery efforts, according to data released by the Department of Education Tuesday. However, pass rates in other subjects are still behind results from the 2022-23 school year.

Pass rates for grades 3 through 8 in reading, math, and science Standards of Learning tests all showed increases statewide by at least 1%. Writing showed the highest increase — 17 percentage points — while history and social science saw little gain, less than a percentage point.

Countywide

Fairfax County reveals next 10 schools to get speed cameras

By Angela Woolsey

Published August 19, 2024 at 9:30AM

A speed camera on Kirby Road outside Chesterbrook Elementary School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

With students officially back in class, Fairfax County is expanding its use of speed cameras to enforce the 25-mph limit in school zones.

Over the next few months, the county will roll out cameras to 10 additional locations near public schools for the first phase of its speed camera program, building on a pilot program that launched in February 2023 with eight sites.