Like the City of Alexandria, Fairfax County Public Schools officials are working hard on figuring out how to return students to school safely this fall.
FCPS closed in March as COVID-19 spread through the region to protect the health and safety of students and staff.
Now, with guidance from the Virginia Dept. of Education, FCPS officials are working through complex scenario planning for returning to school this fall.
“I want you to know that we are working hard to prepare for those return to school scenarios,” Dr. Scott Brabrand said in a Wednesday night virtual town hall for FCPS staff and parents. “We don’t have every question yet answered.”
FCPS will be sending a survey to FCPS teachers and staff later this week, as well a survey to parents, to gauge their comfort levels in returning to school and understand the challenges and concerns. “Maybe it’s childcare, maybe it’s health and safety — we know there are many things on your mind and we want to be able to address then,” Brabrand said.
Fairfax Education Association, which represents hundreds of FCPS teachers and staff, believes that a return to in-person learning should not occur until a vaccine or treatment is widely available. "We appreciate that school is a safehaven for many of our students, but we cannot compromise the lives of our staff, students and families," said FEA President Kimberly Adams.
"Appropriate precautions and CDC guidance being implemented still seems out of reach. From transportation to serving lunch to instructional materials sharing by students and everything in between, this all remains a challenge that is still in the planning phase. We continue to inform the work of the Superintendent's Task Force and look forward to additional survey data from staff and the community," Adams said.
Fairfax County Public Schools Return to School Town Hall, June 10, 2020.
Dr. Sloan Presidio, who has been leading the FCPS Return to School task force, said FCPS is planning for three scenarios. The hope is that when students return to school in late August, it will be under the second of those three scenarios.
In scenario 1, FCPS students continue completely virtual learning — no students would be allowed in buildings and all instruction would be through distance learning. This system would only be used in the event of a significant resurgence of COVID-19 cases that requires a closure of some or all schools.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam said that school buildings will be able to reopen in the fall for students, provided that school systems are able to ensure the health and safety of students, teachers and staff. This will require health screenings, significantly increased cleanings and disinfecting, physical distancing as much as possible, limited use of shared equipment and more.
In the second scenario, students would be allowed in school buildings, but perhaps not every student on every day. There may be a change to schedules to serve students on alternating days. It is not clear whether students will be doing synchronous virtual learning on "off" days when they are not in school buildings. Additionally, FCPS is looking into providing childcare for teachers who have young children at home.
The third scenario is designed to offer choice — students and staff who are at high risk may opt to continue virtual education.
Fairfax County Public Schools Return to School Town Hall, June 10, 2020.
In addition to considering these scenarios, FCPS is updating telework procedures and is working on procuring plenty of personal protective equipment (PPE). “Foremost in our minds” is the health and safety of staff, students and their families,” Presidio said.
Earlier this week, the Dept. of Education released a 136-page document providing guidance on reopening for school districts. By the middle of July, school districts will need to submit a plan to the state focusing on how the school district plans to handle health and safety measures while ensuring students are progressing in their education.
