The first week of distance learning for roughly 189,000 Fairfax County Public School students has been off to a rough start.

Technical issues with the Blackboard 24/7 system prompted FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand to cancel the online learning through tomorrow (Friday). The system encountered log-in problems and other issues since distance learning kicked off on Tuesday (April 14).

Brabrand made the decision after hiccups on Wednesday morning prompted a two-hour delay in teacher-led instruction. Online learning was later canceled due to ongoing technical issues that day.

“We sincerely appreciate your patience and share your frustration related to our distance learning challenges this week. FCPS had worked closely with Blackboard’s technical team for several weeks prior to the launch of distance learning and there was no indication that the system would be unable to handle the volume of participating users or would be susceptible to the security issues that many of our schools encountered,” Brabrand wrote.

Blackboard Inc., a Reston-based company that contracts with school systems nationwide, says it believes it has identified the root cause of connectivity problems. The company expects updates to the system will take until at least Friday to complete.

“As a Fairfax County-based company, we are deeply committed to providing Fairfax students and parents the robust and secure learning environment that they want and need. We apologize for the disruption this has caused to instruction and we appreciate patience as we all work together as an education community to ensure continuity of learning for students.”

Brabrand noted that the school system will provide an update on the status of distance learning tomorrow (Friday).

Teachers will contact students over the email and phone to make sure third-quarter work assigned before March 13 is submitted. Students can live stream instructional programs on local cable channels and other resources are available on the school’s website.

Some local schools are offering additional guidance for instruction online. Coates Elementary School has pre-recorded lessons posted on its Facebook and Twitter.

“We offer this because we know how much you value your child’s learning, we are excited to get back to regular teaching, and a scheduled lesson provides kids with structure,” wrote Principal Jesse Kraft in an email.

The school system’s distance learning plan is scheduled to run through June 8. High school and middle school students will receive no marks for the fourth quarter, although fourth-quarter assignments can be used to lift a student’s final grade. Elementary school students will not receive any fourth-quarter grades.

Image via Blackboard

Reston Association Hosts Virtual Pet Fashion Show — Dress up your pets for the virtual fashion show. Voting is open online tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday. A winner will be selected each day with the highest number of likes on posts. The show is only open to RA members. [Reston Association]

Fairfax Connector Passengers Urged to Wear Face Masks — The county’s transportation department is now asking all. Passengers to use non-medical f ace coverings or cloth masks in order to slow the spread o f COVID-19. Although masks are strongly encouraging, no one without a covering will be denied entry to Fairfax Connector buses.  [Fairfax County Government]

Maintain Clear Access to Exits — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department urges businesses to maintain clear access to all exits. The department has received several messages voicing concerns about blocked, locked or otherwise restricted exits. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]

Photo by Marjorie Copson

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved changes to Arrowbrook Centre, a proposed mixed-use development that was approved in 2005 for more than two million square feet of development.

The company behind the massive development, which is located near the future Innovation Center Metro Station, received the county’s blessing yesterday (April 14) to convert previously planned high-rise residential buildings into single-family homes and mid-rise apartment units.

The changes, which are restricted to a 3.4-acre section of the 54-acre site, reduce the residential component of the site from 480 to 392 units.

Describing the development as “first-class,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said Arrowbrook Centre would help create a “sense of community in that area.”

“This is a very straightforward case,” he added.

The county also approved the developer’s plan to build a 32-unit multi-family building and 10 single-family houses. A 50-space parking garage for the apartment building and 27 parking spaces for the single-family houses, in addition to garage parking, were also approved.

The developer also plans to incorporate an asphalt trail that was suggested in the Herndon Metrorail Stations Access Management Study to connect to the future Innovation Center Metro Station.

John McGranaham, the applicant’s representative, noted that the developer is committed to completing the trail once easements and appropriate approvals are granted.

“It’s an important trail to have open when the Innovation Station opens shortly,” McGranaham said.

While Reston’s annual Founder’s Day celebration will not take place in person, the Reston Historic Trust & Museum is still finding ways to make the community milestone and birthday of Reston’s founder Bob Simon special.

Founder’s Day will take place on Saturday, April 18. The museum, which organizes the annual celebration is asking Restonians to submit videos of up to 30 seconds showcasing how Founder’s Day is being celebrated in their home.

The museum suggests some ways to celebrate at home on its website.

Residents should tag the museum via Twitter or Facebook. Everyone who tags the museum will be entered tow in a personalized commemorative brick to be installed at Lake Anne Plaza next year. A winner will be selected on April 20.

Founder’s day is presented by Reston Historic Trust and Museum with support from Reston Community Center and Public Art Reston. It is hosted by Lake Anne Plaza.

File photo

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says that seven of its members have tested positive for the coronavirus, two of which have recovered. Five personnel are currently battling the illness.

The information about the cases was released yesterday (April 14).

The department said that a nurse at Fairfax County’s Occupational Health Center is monitoring all personnel. If there are any concerns about exposure to the public or specific individuals, the department will provide notifications accordingly.

In addition to the number of confirmed cases, seven members remain in quarantine due to possible exposure. Known cases were tested at a site for first responders or through a private physician.

Despite impacts on personnel, the department “continues to fully staff all stations and apparatus,” according to a statement.

The department has not disclosed the assigned work locations of the members under quarantine.

Photo via Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

Two Hour ‘Virtual’ Delay for Fairfax County Public Schools — Teacher-led instruction for middle and elementary school levels will be delayed two hours today to allow teachers to activate Blackboard security upgrades. High school office hours will begin no earlier than 10 a.m. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Reston Company Selected as Top Entry Level Employer — Carahsoft Technology Corp made it to CollegeGrad.com’s annual list of top entry-level employers. The company is expected to onboard 700 new employees and 174 interns this year, a 27 percent increase from last year. [GlobeNewswire]

Marriage Licenses Go Virtual — The county launched a new virtual marriage license appointment program today for couples to receive a marriage license from the Fairfax County Court Clerk’s Office. The county’s clerk notes he has seen an increase in the number of couples applying for marriage licenses since the pandemic hit locally. [Fairfax County Government]

Virtual Q&A by Bow Tie Cinemas — The theatre is hosting a virtual session with the directors and selected cast members of Extra Ordinary. The event begins at 6 p.m. [Bow Tie Cinemas via Facebook]

Reston Community Players Scholarship Kicks Off — Applications for annual scholarships for high school. Applications are due by May 1. Interviews, which will take place between May 16-17, will be held virtually.

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Local congregations are banding together to provide takeout meals from local restaurants to those in need of food.

Since the second week of its launch, the program, Herndon Cares, has fed more than 400 people. More congregations and businesses are joining the effort, including Christ Fellowship Church, Herndon United Methodist Church, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, St. John Neumann Catholic Community, Trinity Presbyterian Church, and Washington Plaza Baptist Church.

The First Baptist Church of Herndon spearheaded the effort after Pastor Sean Roberds pitched the idea of raising funds for meals in an effort to support local businesses and local residents.

Within a week of suggesting the idea, the church’s community outreach coordinator launched the effort and recruited volunteers, including Renee Maxwell from Trinity Presbyterian Church in Herndon.

“I’m thrilled that more and more faith congregations are patterning in this effort and that businesses are very enthusiastic,” Maxwell said.

Restaurants that are within the zip code areas of 20170, 20171, 20190, and 20194 can participate by pitching dinner for $10/person or less. Some local participants include:

• Amphora’s Diner Deluxe
• Apple Spice
• A Taste of the World Restaurant
• Charcoal Kabab
• Enatye Ethiopian Restaurant
• Great Harvest Bread Company
• Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern
• Mellow Mushroom
• Mr. Pepperoni
• Virginia Kitchen
• Willard’s BBQ
• 100 Bowls

The organization is accepting donations online. So far, Herndon Cares has raised $7,185 of its ambitious $100,000 goal. Meals can be requested on the program’s website.

Photo via Herndon Cares

Health Alert Kit On the Way — Households in Fairfax County and the Town of Herndon will receive a COVID-19 toolkit in the mail that includes instruction on what to do if you’re sick, what to do if you’re in contact with someone who is sick, and how to talk to close contents if you are sick. [Fairfax County Government]

Attempted Robbery at Exxon in Great Falls — A man attempted to rob the Exxon gas station on 9829 Georgetown Pike in Great Falls on April 10. Police said the man left when the clerk told him there was no money. [Fairfax County Police Department]

What’s Happening Today — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will meet electronically today beginning at 1 p.m. to discuss next year’s revised budget and other coronavirus-related items. [Fairfax County Government]

Plans for Non-essential Businesses — “As the end date approaches for the Gov. Ralph Northam’s order that closed non-essential recreation and entertainment businesses, the governor plans to extend the date. Northam has not set an end date for that extension, but an announcement is expected. Wednesday.”  [Patch]

Photo by Bryan Harrell/Twitter

Delays are expected for the rollout of the Fairfax County Police Department’s body-worn camera program.

In Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill’s revised budget for fiscal year 2021, the county plans to push back funding for 338 cameras for the Sully, McLean, and West Springfield Stations in the second year of the program.

The county is also revisiting funding plans for 456 cameras for the third year of the program at the Fair Oaks, Franconia and South County district stations.

The proposed budget — which was scaled back considerably in response to the COVID-19 pandemic — maintains an increase of $1.77 million to support the first full year of the program.

Funding is expected to remain for 416 cameras that will be issued to the Reston, Mason and Mt. Vernon police stations, according to county budget documents.

“The funding supports the maintenance of the program implemented in FY 2020 but does not expand the program as originally planned.”

In late 2019, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved $4 million to begin implementation of the program.

Officers in the Reston District Station were expected to receive the cameras next month.

Photo via FCPD

Some county residents and organizations are questioning the Fairfax County Board of Supervisor’s decision to proceed with voting on land use cases and other development matters at a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday).

The board is considering an ordinance that would allow the county to proceed with some land use work that would “otherwise expire or require time-consuming, case-by-case attention to extend at the expense of operations.”

The ordinance is intended to automatically extend the validity of expiring director-approved plans, pats, grading permits, parking reductions, and modifications or waivers for specific public facilities stands until nearly two months after the board ends the local state of emergency.

“By temporarily supplanting this cumbersome extension process, this ordinance will help to a sure continuity in government by enabling Land Development Services to continue providing essential services to homeowners and the development community.”

But some say the wording of the ordinance leaves too much room for interpretation, regardless of how well-intentioned the proposed ordinance is.

In a letter to the board, former Fairfax County Planning Commissioner James Hart said the ordinance was “so broad and flexible that it invites abuse of that streamlined emergency process and an expansion into land use matters.”

Here’s more from Hart’s letter:

The definition of “Continuity in Fairfax County government” on p. 119 is so vague as to be meaningless.   It includes, “without limitation,” almost anything, including “applications . . . or other requests” and “measures that help sustain the County’s economy” which conceivably could be every land use application that causes economic activity [construction, real estate, commerce, taxes, etc.].   What case arguably doesn’t help sustain the economy, in some way?  There should be some “limitation” on the authority of a supervisor, or the Board collectively, to approve anything, ostensibly within this overbroad definition, as an essential continuation of the function of government.  

Some residents are especially concerned about an expected vote on a proposal for 157 townhouses in Chantilly tomorrow (Tuesday). The controversial project by McLean-based company Elm Street Communities — which is located directly under a flight path — has been a source of concern, especially due to noise impacts

Residents say that members of the public cannot meaningfully comment on the application or rebut information presented by staff or the applicant by submitting written testimony or comments via YouTube in advance of the meeting.

“The virus emergency is no excuse to adopt streamlined procedures that facilitate land use cases going forward without meaningful citizen participation in the public hearings.  Reasonable limitations on the Board’s powers should include some more specific clarification of what matters, such as the budget, are truly ‘essential.”” Hart wrote.

The state’s Sierra Club chapter also voiced reservations on the ordinance to streamline the public engagement process, which it says could be perceived as using an emergency to reduce public input and increase opportunities for development.

“Fairfax County residents become passive contributors by submitting electronic public comment and hope that it is read or watched. Gone is the ability to engage in dialogue with staff or supervisors, make site visits, verify or rebut information, and actively impact decision-making.”

Photo via Unsplash

As of 3:40 p.m. today, only Springvale Road is closed due to water in the roadway.

Earlier:

As storms and high winds continue to roll into the region, several local roads are closed.

Currently, the intersection at Hunter Mill Road and Hunter Station Road is closed due to water in the roadway.

Additionally, Hunter Station Road is also closed between Hunter Mill Roa and Lawyers Road due to flooding.

The Fairfax County Police Department stated that the closures were caused by last night’s wind and rain.

Photo via FCPD

This story will be updated.

(Update at 3:48 p.m.: The watch as canceled in the afternoon).

A tornado watch is in effect for Fairfax County until 6 p.m. today.

The county is already under a wind advisory and storms are expected to roll through the region for most of the day.

A severe thunderstorm warning is also in effect until 2:30 p.m. today.

High winds are currently ongoing across much of the area, with the strongest winds across Southern Maryland. The initial line of storms has moved out of the area but another round of storms is expected to form over the next couple of hours. pic.twitter.com/H80xV5DN6T

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) April 13, 2020

Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Rockville MD, Bethesda MD, Reston VA until 2:30 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/UTZirbYp4Z

— NWS Severe Tstorm (@NWSSevereTstorm) April 13, 2020

The number of COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County has passed 1,000.

The county continues to lead all other jurisdictions with a total of 1,164 cases, according to state data released this morning.

Between yesterday (Sunday) and today, 156 new cases were reported.

Overall, 5,747 cases statewide and 149 deaths have been reported, including 19 deaths in Fairfax County.

Currently, seven hospitals in the state are having trouble securing personal proactive equipment.

Roughly 23 percent of available ventilators statewide are currently in use and 5,970 beds are available for patients.

Data via Virginia Department of Health

Another wind advisory is in effect through 6 p.m. today (Monday).

The National Weather Service warns residents that storms could cause downed. Trees and power lines. Here’s more from forecasters:

* WHAT…South through mid-morning at 20 to 30 mph with gusts around 50 to 55 mph expected. Winds will become southwest lat this morning and afternoon.

* WHERE…Northern and central Virginia, northern and central Maryland, portions of eastern West Virginia, and the city of Washington DC as well as Baltimore.

* WHEN…From 6 AM this morning to 6 PM EDT this evening.

* IMPACTS…Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree may be blown down due to the saturated ground, and this may lead to power outages.

Potential for a significant severe weather outbreak throughout the day on Monday. Multiple rounds of severe storms expected between sunrise and mid-afternoon. Storms will bring a threat for large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. pic.twitter.com/ZoXCnH0ND2

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) April 12, 2020

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr