Letter To The Editor: 5 Days In Schools With 3-Foot Distancing

This letter was submitted by a reader regarding the Fairfax County Public Schools reopening in light of the CDC's new guidance of 3-foot physical distancing in schools. The views expressed in this letter are the writer's own. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, email emily.leayman@patch.com.

Open Letter to the Fairfax County School Board: 3’=5 Days

Board Members, with the announcement by the CDC of 3’ distancing being safe for schools I do not understand why FCPS hasn’t IMMEDIATELY moved elementary schools (and beyond) to four days per week of live instruction?

I’m a veteran, and a lawyer, and what I know is in a crisis you have contingency plans. The idea, this falsehood, Superintendent Brabrand is now claiming is so blatantly disingenuous I have no idea how he can look himself in the mirror. He is lying to his community. To say that the school board or the county has NEVER considered 3 feet social distancing and we now need even MORE time to figure out how to make it work is preposterous. Crisis operations require and demand contingency planning.

In February Superintendent Brabrand said 3’ meant they could return to five days, but now more time is needed. The county has been given NOTHING but TIME this year. Time to plan, plan some more, continue planning, plan to plan, plan to learn how to figure out basic technology…. This is ridiculous. In all the time spent planning there should have been a plan to return to four or five days upon the announcement by the CDC that 3’ was sufficient for elementary schools, there should be no need to punish our children and hold them hostage. Nothing less than 4 days (but preferably 5) is acceptable for elementary age children immediately.

I understand that may only be a minimal amount of days inside the building by the end of the year, but to use that as an excuse ignores the very real and heavy load our youngest children are carrying. Even one more day in school is everything to them and I can no longer stand on the sidelines hoping for the school board to come to its senses. As the voice of reason on the board I beg of you to demand return of our children to five days of in-person instruction. The holding-hostage public education from our youngest children has got to end.

I’m an active duty Airman of twelve years, I like, so many in Fairfax County, serve our country without asking anything in return, and now we simply want our children in school.

Sincerely,

Lauren Shure of Burke