News

Rising ninth- and 10th-graders from a wide swath of western Fairfax County will have the opportunity to attend the county’s newest high school starting next fall.

Fairfax County School Board members voted last Thursday (Nov. 13) to allow students who otherwise would attend Centreville, Chantilly, Westfield, Oakton or South Lakes high schools to instead join the first classes at the currently unnamed new high school.


Countywide

While acknowledging a request for more funding is on the horizon, the chair of Fairfax County’s School Board says she is eager to avoid a repeat of budget clashes earlier this year between her body and the Board of Supervisors.

Springfield District School Board member Sandy Anderson, who rotated in as chair over the summer, said Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) leaders need to be realistic about the current state of fiscal affairs, and considerate of the choices supervisors will need to make next spring.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools got a greenlight from voters this week to sell bonds in order to pay for school renovation and construction projects.

The 2025 school bond referendum was approved by 70.7% of voters in the general election on Tuesday (Nov. 4), a margin generally in line with previous years, according to Virginia Department of Elections data.


News

The Centreville High School teacher who alleged that a social worker pressured a student to get an abortion without parental notification — a claim that school officials called “likely untrue” — is now taking her case to court.

Zenaida Perez, backed by the pro-life advocacy organization Americans United for Life (AUL), filed a civil lawsuit yesterday (Wednesday) alleging that Fairfax County Public Schools defamed and retaliated against her after she went public with her claims.


News

The Fairfax County School Board voted last week to delay consideration of new middle school start times in order to focus on ongoing school boundary adjustments and identify an option that won’t affect the school system’s budget.

Mount Vernon District Representative Mateo Dunne, who introduced the motion during the school board’s meeting last Thursday (Oct. 23), reaffirmed his support for later start times but emphasized the importance of waiting until other changes are finalized.


News

Vienna leaders are taking a stand against the latest proposal to come out of Fairfax County Public Schools’ systemwide boundary review.

The Vienna Town Council unanimously approved a resolution on Monday (Oct. 27) opposing a boundary adjustment that would assign an estimated 91 students within the town’s limits to Marshall High School in Idylwood instead of the local James Madison High School.


Countywide

Fairfax County school leaders see signs of improving mental health, but also some ongoing red flags, in the county’s most recent youth survey.

“This is always a bittersweet report to read,” at-large Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel said after Superintendent Michelle Reid detailed the report’s findings at the board meeting last Thursday (Oct. 23).


News

The Centreville High School teacher who alleged that a social worker had helped students obtain abortions in 2021 is now on paid leave.

Fairfax County Public Schools Director of Employee Relations William Fulton notified Zenaida Perez on Monday (Oct. 20) that she has been placed on paid administrative leave, effective immediately, after investigators released a report last week challenging the veracity of her claims.


News

As Fairfax County Public Schools leaders consider a policy to guide the usage of artificial intelligence in classrooms, a lab program from Virginia Tech is already preparing some students to be at the forefront of technological change.

Bucknell Elementary School in Groveton is the new home of the Thinkabit Lab Innovation Space, a tactile learning hub developed by the wireless technology manufacturer Qualcomm that’s designed to pique students’ interests in science and prepare them for careers in technology.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools officials want to make sure students are using artificial intelligence as a tool rather than a crutch.

FCPS doesn’t have a comprehensive policy governing the use of AI, but officials are working on one. Superintendent Michelle Reid told the Fairfax County School Board at a work session this month (Oct. 7) that it’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page because AI is such a broad topic.


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