Fairfax County School Board | FFXnow

Published March 31, 2022 at 3:55PM | Updated April 1, 2022 at 10:15AM

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (via Google Maps)

Fairfax County Public Schools can use its revamped admissions process to evaluate the next class of prospective Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology students, a federal appeals court ruled today (Thursday).

The overhauled admissions process, which replaced a standardized test with an essay, a higher grade-point-average requirement, and other criteria, is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit filed against the county school board by the Coalition for TJ, a parent and community group that opposes the changes.

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FCPS set to require recess in all middle schools for the first time

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 29, 2022 at 1:30PM

Fairfax County Public Schools plans to start requiring recess for middle school students (courtesy FCPS Office of Communication and Community Relations)

The Fairfax County School Board intends to approve policy revisions next month that would make recess a requirement at all elementary and middle schools.

Under the proposed changes to Fairfax County Public Schools’ student and staff health and wellness policy, all middle school students would be guaranteed at least 15-minute, supervised recess breaks during the day. Elementary school students will get two recess breaks per day, totaling at least 30 minutes.

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Dunn Loring Elementary School plans advance despite line-jumping worries

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 18, 2022 at 10:30AM

The Dunn Loring Administrative Center is slated for replacement with an elementary school (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County Public Schools is moving forward with plans to convert the Dunn Loring Administration Center into an elementary school, despite questions from some school board and community members about the project’s urgency.

The Fairfax County School Board voted 10-0 with two abstentions on March 10 to let staff re-negotiate an existing architecture and engineering contract with the firm Samaha Associates, initiating a planning process that typically takes about two years, according to FCPS Executive Director for Facilities and Transportation Services Jessica Gillis.

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FCPS expands ban on restraints, set to fully end student seclusions

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 17, 2022 at 11:15AM

Fairfax County Public Schools will end the use of seclusion at Key Center School in Franconia and Kilmer Center in Dunn Loring with the 2022-2023 school year (via Google Maps)

Fairfax County Public Schools will officially end the use of seclusion as a tool for managing student behavior when the next school year begins on Aug. 22.

The practice of confining a student to a room is already prohibited in most schools, but the Fairfax County School Board approved an update on March 10 that expands the ban to include the Key Center School, Kilmer Center, and private day and residential schools, starting with the 2022-2023 school year.

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JUST IN: FCPS seeks pause in TJ admissions changes, pending appeal

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 4, 2022 at 5:25PM

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (via Google Maps)

Fairfax County Public Schools has asked a federal court to let its current Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology admissions process stay in place while a legal battle over the new system continues.

U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton issued an order last Friday (Feb. 25) invalidating the school system’s overhaul, calling the elimination of a standardized test and other changes intended to increase student diversity at the magnet school discriminatory against Asian Americans.

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Court ruling on Thomas Jefferson High School admissions changes draws mixed reactions

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 1, 2022 at 1:30PM

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (via Google Maps)

A federal judge’s ruling that recent changes to the admissions process for Fairfax County Public Schools’ prestigious magnet school were discriminatory has inspired both praise and condemnation.

As first reported by The Washington Post, U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton issued an opinion on Friday (Feb. 25) finding that the elimination of a standardized test and other alterations to how students are admitted into Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) were made “to the detriment of Asian-Americans.”

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JUST IN: Masks will be optional for FCPS students starting Tuesday

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 25, 2022 at 12:00PM

Irving Middle School students wear face masks in class (via FCPS)

Fairfax County Public Schools will comply with the new Virginia law prohibiting local school boards from enforcing universal mask requirements.

Face masks will be optional on school property for students starting Tuesday (March 1), Superintendent Scott Brabrand confirmed today (Friday) in a message to families.

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BREAKING: Court dismisses recall petition against Springfield school board member

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 23, 2022 at 12:30PM

Fairfax County Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A second attempt to recall a Fairfax County School Board member has ground to a halt.

Springfield District Representative Laura Jane Cohen announced in a statement that the Fairfax County Circuit Court issued an order today (Wednesday) dismissing a petition seeking her removal from office.

News

Fairfax County School Board hopes to address capacity issues with $1.2 billion capital improvement plan

By Fatimah Waseem

Published February 16, 2022 at 9:30AM | Updated February 25, 2022 at 11:44AM

Fairfax County Public Schools (file photo)

The Fairfax County School Board unanimously approved its $1.2 billion capital project plan on Thursday (Feb. 10), setting in motion efforts to tackle overcrowding issues in the school system.

The plan, known as the Capital Improvement Program for fiscal years 2023-2027, sets priorities within a five-year time frame for new construction, boosting capacity and facility renovations.

News

Fairfax County School Board moves to expand ban on firearms, citing rise in threats of violence

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 9, 2022 at 9:30AM

Sign for Fairfax County Public Schools outside the Gatehouse Administration Center (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools intends to prohibit guns from all properties that it owns or leases amid heightened concerns about the safety of students, staff, and elected officials.

The Fairfax County School Board agreed unanimously at a work session yesterday (Tuesday) to direct Superintendent Scott Brabrand and his staff to develop a draft policy for its governance committee to consider at its March 1 meeting.