Fairfax School Board Endorses New Return-To-School Timeline

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — The Fairfax County School Board voted Tuesday to allow the new return-to-school timeline to move forward. The plan will bring back students who opt into hybrid learning in February and March.

The school board had directed Superintendent Scott Brabrand to give his latest return-to-school timeline and other updates during the Feb. 2 meeting. The new timeline calls for the groups 1 to 4 (select Career and Technical Education and Special Education students) to return on Feb. 16. Group 5 (Pre-K to kindergarten and additional Special Education students) would return on Feb. 23. The next date would be March 2 for part of group 8 (grades 8, 9 and 12 and Grade 8 at Poe, Glasgow and Holmes). Group 6 (grades 1 and 2) and the rest of Group 8 (grades 7, 10, 11 and Grade 6 and 7 at Poe, Glasgow and Holmes would return on March 9. The last date would be March 16 for Group 7 (grades 3 to 6).

"FCPS believes in-person instruction is best to meet our students’ academic, social and emotional needs, and I am truly grateful to the Board for their continued support of our students at this difficult time," said Brabrand in a statement. "We will continue to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff remain our highest priority as we begin to return to in-person learning on February 16."

When in-person learning becomes an option, families have the option of hybrid or virtual instruction. Students enrolled in hybrid learning would return to school buildings for two days per week.

Classes may transition back to virtual learning if a teacher needs to quarantine or the class experiences an coronavirus outbreak.

The latest return-to-school decision comes as vaccinations are underway for FCPS staff since Jan. 16. Over 7,000 FCPS staff received their first dose as of Jan. 25. But that day, FCPS learned Inova was canceling first dose appointments due to limited supply with a change to the state's distribution strategy. Since then, around 5,000 vaccination appointments were added for Jan. 28 to 31 to reschedule some individuals whose appointments were canceled. Additional appointments will be added as supply becomes available. FCPS says 90 percent of staff have requested or scheduled vaccine appointments.

School board members supported the plan after hearing specifics on the school district's ability to meet updated, research-based decision-making protocols provided by the Virginia Department of Health for safely returning students to the classroom. FCPS previously introduced safety teams to monitor schools' adherence to five health and safety mitigation strategies that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends to keep transmission rates low.

The school district has been hiring classroom monitors to cover in-person classrooms for teachers who are working from home. FCPS has hired 92 percent of the classroom monitors needed to bring the first group of students back on Feb. 16. For the grades 1 and 2 students, 86 percent of the needed monitors are in place. Recruitment efforts are underway for the additional 205 additional monitors needed.

For more information on the timeline, visit www.fcps.edu/returntoschool.