Fairfax County Public Schools

FCPS special education review finds inequitable discipline, transparency concerns

Published September 22, 2021 at 9:30AM

The Fairfax County Public Schools board discusses a first-year interim report of a two-year review of the district's special education program (photo via FCPS)

Fairfax County Public Schools is conducting the first public review of its special education services since 2013 after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional learning with remote classes that disproportionately affected students with disabilities.

Presented to the school board at a work session yesterday (Tuesday), findings from the first year of the review highlight families’ frustrations with the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process and suggest the school system disproportionately disciplines special education students, especially Black and Hispanic children.

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FCPS could start streaming classes for quarantined students later this month

By David Taube

Published September 13, 2021 at 9:30AM

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand presents a proposal for virtual learning for students who must quarantine due to having COVID-19 or close contact with someone with the virus (Via FCPS)

Fairfax County Public Schools could start providing livestreamed or recorded classes for students who can’t be in school buildings due to COVID-19 later this month.

Superintendent Scott Brabrand told the Fairfax County School Board on Thursday (Sept. 9) that administrators are developing a plan to let students attend their regular classes remotely when they have to quarantine, isolate, or pause in-person learning in response to testing positive for COVID-19 or being identified as a possible close contact of someone with the virus.

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FCPS will propose letting students stream classes when pausing due to COVID-19

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 8, 2021 at 2:00PM

Fairfax County Public Schools

Two weeks into a new school year that was supposed to herald the full return of in-person learning, Fairfax County Public Schools is considering adding a new, limited option for virtual instruction in an effort to minimize disruptions related to COVID-19.

Under the proposal, which will be shared in more detail during the Fairfax County School Board’s meeting tomorrow (Thursday), students who are directed to isolate, quarantine, or pause in-person learning due a COVID-19 case would be allowed to attend their classes via live video streaming, FCPS spokesperson Julie Moult confirmed to FFXnow.

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School cafeterias under scrutiny as FCPS families, staff share COVID-19 anxieties

By Matt Blitz

Published September 2, 2021 at 2:00PM

McNair Elementary School students pick up lunch on their first day of school for the 2021-2022 academic year (via FCPS)

As COVID-19 cases rise in Fairfax County Public Schools, so have concerns from parents, students, and staff, particularly when it comes to the cafeteria.

More than 205,000 students and staff in Fairfax County went back to school on Aug. 23 after 18 months of mostly remote learning. Excitement about seeing friends and having in-person classes mingled with frustration over transportation issues and pandemic-related anxieties.