Another Group Of Fairfax Students Returns To Virtual Learning

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County Public Schools announced its group 3 cohort of students returned to virtual learning Monday.

The decision is based on one of the health metrics recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for school operating decisions: the percentage of positive COVID tests over seven consecutive days. The threshold for keeping group 3 in the in-person learning is 10 percent. On Saturday, Fairfax County's percent positivity exceeded the 10 percent threshold for seven consecutive days.

"We know this is a disappointment to our families," said FCPS in a letter to families. "Our goal is to return students to in person learning soon after winter break. We understand that in-person learning is the best option for most students. We will be sharing more information on these plans in the coming weeks."

Group 3, which has an estimated 4,100 students, had been in school buildings for in-person learning since Oct. 26. This includes students at Elementary Comprehensive Services Sites, Key Center, Kilmer Center, Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education, recently-arrived English Learners in Grades 3 to 12 and adapted curriculum students in Enhanced Autism Classrooms (EAC), Intellectual Disabilities K-12 Classrooms, Intellectual Disabilities Severe K-12 Classrooms, and students receiving Noncategorical Elementary (NCE) services with the adapted curriculum in a special education classrooms.

That leaves just groups 1 (some specialized high school career preparatory programs) and 2 (Preschool Autism Classrooms, Early Childhood Class-based and some specialized high school career preparatory programs) in school buildings for in-person learning. FCPS delayed the return of its group five students (including PreK and kindergarten) on Nov. 16 and moved group 4 back to virtual learning on Nov. 23.

The decision comes after Superintendent Scott Brabrand provided target dates for the return of more students at a Thursday school board meeting. According to the draft plan, groups 1 to 3 will begin virtually for the first week after winter break and would return on Jan. 12, and groups 4 and 5 would also return on Jan. 12. Group 6 (grades 1 and 2) would return on Jan. 19, group 7 (grades 3 and 4) on Jan. 26, group 7 (grades 5 and 6) on Feb. 2, group 8 (grades 7, 9 and 12) on Jan. 26 and group 8 (grades 8, 10 and 11) on Feb. 2. The school board has not taken action on these potential return dates.

The school district has been using two core indicators identified by the CDC for school reopening decision-making: the number of new cases per 100,000 people within the last 14 days and the regional percentage of positive PCR COVID-19 tests within the last 14 days. FCPS tracks this data daily on its health metrics dashboard. As of Monday, the cases per 100K residents are 520.1, and percentage of positive tests is 11.2 percent. Both are classified as having the highest risk for transmission in schools.

FCPS recently announced the creation of safety teams to conduct checks of how schools are implementing the five mitigation strategies for COVID-19, the CDC's third core indicator for reopening decisions. The strategies include consistent and correct use of masks, social distancing to the extent possible, hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and disinfection, and contact tracing in collaboration with the local health department. FCPS will use data collected by the safety teams to use the CDC's third indicator in reopening decisions. School officials believe strict adherence to the five strategies can reduce the risk of transmission in schools even if community transmission is high.