This month marks the third anniversary of the first Covid case in Fairfax County, and the Board of Supervisors has voted to bring the state of emergency to a close.
The emergency declaration that has been in place since March 17, 2020 officially ends today (Wednesday).
The declaration provided increased flexibility and resources to address public health issues. The county said in a release there will be no direct impact of the declaration ending on the county’s operational responses, which were already scaled back in December.
The county’s relaxed policies on outdoor dining and using speakers for activities will continue until March 2024.
The days of saving up loose change to pay the Dulles Toll Road’s fees are officially in the past.
Effective today (Wednesday), the 14-mile highway also known as Route 237 has converted to an all-electronic, cashless payment system, joining the network of express lanes that criss-cross Northern Virginia.
“Eliminating cash toll collection is expected to speed traffic flow and benefit the environment by reducing emissions that would have been produced by vehicles waiting in toll-booth lines,” the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the road, said in a news release.
All coin baskets have now been deactivated.
The MWAA Board of Directors approved the plan to transition away from coin payments on Nov. 16. At that same meeting, the board also increased fees on the Dulles Toll Road for the first time in five years, a hike that took effect on Jan. 1.
Under the new system, payments can be made with an E-Z Pass or mobile apps. Drivers who don’t have an E-Z Pass transponder will be identified by their license plate and get an invoice mailed to them.
For those who “pay by plate,” two-axle vehicles will be charged $5.60 at the toll road’s main plaza and $3.60 on the ramps. That rate includes a $1.60 administrative fee that state law permits MWAA to collect “to recover the costs of pay-by-plate transactions.”
The fees can be paid online before or after an invoice arrives.
Fees are slightly lower for E-Z Pass users at $4 for the main plaza and $2 for the ramps, since they don’t have to pay the administrative fee.
According to MWAA, about 2% or 726,367 Dulles Toll Road transactions were paid by cash in 2022. The authority had already removed many toll booths to create E-Z Pass express lanes in 2019, and manual toll collections ceased in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dulles Toll Road stretches from Route 28 by the Dulles International Airport in the west to the Capital Beltway near Tysons to the east.
Toll revenue goes toward the highway’s operating and maintenance costs, while also funding construction of Metro’s Silver Line, which launched service from Reston to Ashburn on Nov. 15.
Child Care Enrollment Starts Next Week — “Registration for 2023-2024 Fairfax County School Age Child Care (SACC) will begin on March 9. Registration will open on a rolling basis in alphabetical order by school…The SACC School Year Program…offers before- and afterschool care for children attending kindergarten through sixth grade in most Fairfax County public elementary schools and several community centers.” [Neighborhood and Community Services]
Couple Found Dead in Fairfax Home — Fairfax County police are conducting a death investigation after an adult man and woman were found dead in a home on the 8900 block of Walker Street. Police believe preliminarily that the “elderly couple” died in a murder-suicide incident. [FCPD/Twitter]
Judge Drops Murder Charge in Hybla Valley Fatal Shooting — “At a preliminary hearing Feb. 7 the prosecutor called only one witness, the responding police officer, and the judge dropped the charges, saying not enough evidence was presented.” The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney plans to seek a grand jury indictment that could reinstate the second-degree murder and firearm charges once forensic results are available. [NBC4]
Beer Garden Coming to Annandale Shopping Center — “The last empty storefront at the EastGate Square shopping center on John Marr Drive is going to be a beer garden. That was confirmed by workers fixing up the interior space.” Home to The Block food hall, the center is being eyed for a partial redevelopment that could add housing. [Annandale Today]
Metro Will Take Three Years to Fix Trains — “Metro says it is planning to re-press all 5,984 wheels on its 7000-series trains, a process that will take an estimated three years and cost about $55 million.” The transit agency has been slowly returning the trains to service after removing them following a derailment in Arlington in October 2021. [DCist]
Vienna Town Council Won’t Halt Sidewalk Project — “On Monday, Councilmember Nisha Patel proposed stopping any more engineering studies on the final design of sidewalk on the even number side of Melody Lane SW. Patel cited a resident petition against the sidewalk on the even side of Melody Lane mentioning concerns of drainage issues, safety and potential impacts to trees.” [Patch]
Couple Behind Braddock Community Center Honored — County leaders, community members and relatives gathered on Monday to celebrate the late James and Marguerite Mott. “According to the Post, the Motts began their activism after they were turned away from picnicking at Lake Fairfax Park in 1965. They subsequently sued in U.S. District Court in Alexandria and won equal access to county facilities for Black people.” [NCS]
Tysons Communication Company Faces Federal Scrutiny — “Tysons TV station owner Tegna Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) says it is ‘currently evaluating its options’ after the Federal Communications Commission asked its administrative court to review the media company’s proposed $5.4 billion purchase by hedge fund Standard General on antitrust grounds.” [Washington Business Journal]
Bill to Notify Schools of Employee Arrests Reaches Governor — “A Virginia bill that would require police to notify schools when educators are arrested is now awaiting Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s signature. Its passage follows an incident involving a Fairfax County middle school counselor who remained on the job, months after his arrest connected to child sex crimes.” [WTOP]
It’s Wednesday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 58 and low of 35. Sunrise at 6:42 am and sunset at 6:02 pm. [Weather.gov]
The long-awaited redevelopment of Reston’s Golf Course Plaza office building near Isaac Newton Square is going to remain a reality only on paper for a while longer.
The project is being delayed once again due to “market changes” that have required the landowner Golf Course Plaza LLC to secure new financing, attorney Shane Murphy said in a Feb. 12 letter to Fairfax County Zoning Evaluation Division Director Suzanne Wright.
First reported by the Washington Business Journal, the letter asks the county to confirm if commercial uses can resume in the building at 11480 Sunset Hills Road while the redevelopment remains on hold.
“The Landowner intends to continue the previously-established commercial office and private school/day care facility uses on the Property,” Murphy wrote. “Tenants have been identified and have asked the Landowner to provide zoning confirmation prior to seeking the requisite Non-Residential Use Permits.”
A redevelopment plan for the 3-acre parcel next to the Hidden Creek Golf Course was submitted to the county in 2016. The proposal sought to replace the existing three-story office building and accompanying parking lot with a 392,600-square-foot, 413-unit multifamily residential building.
However, that plan stalled in 2017 and didn’t reemerge until 2019, when the developer requested that the number of units be reduced to 300.
Approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 24, 2019, the project seemed ready to move forward, with all commercial tenants vacating the office building in September 2021. Golf Course Overlook, as the development is called, had even applied for demolition and construction permits, most recently in April 2022.
The letter doesn’t specify what “subsequent market changes” necessitated another delay, but it argues that the county’s zoning ordinance allows old land uses no longer permitted under a site’s approved zoning to continue as long as they ceased operating less than two years ago.
Tenants who vacated the office building included The Callan Law Firm, Bar-T daycare and Berthold Academy, a private Montessori school that relocated to Herndon but has since permanently closed.
Murphy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from FFXnow, but his letter indicates that the newly identified tenants will be similar to the previous ones.
“The timing of this occupancy is particularly critical because most schools begin their scholastic programs in the late Summer months, meaning the tenants need to quickly perform necessary improvements to the interior space to prepare for student occupancy,” he wrote.
While the Golf Course Overlook project is in limbo, the redevelopment of Isaac Newton Square to the east is still advancing. Some low-rise buildings in the 32-acre office park have been demolished, and a plan for the first piece — a 345-unit apartment building — was filed with the county in January.
To the west, the Hidden Creek Golf Course will remain after the Board of Supervisors rejected proposed comprehensive plan amendments that would’ve opened up both of Reston’s golf courses to redevelopment.
The traffic safety advocacy group Fairfax Families for Safe Streets (Fairfax FSS) says the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is primarily to blame for Fairfax County’s high pedestrian fatality count last year.
The Safe Streets Report compiled by Fairfax FSS examines the crashes that resulted in 32 pedestrian fatalities and 53 serious injuries in 2022. Like the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles’ (DMV) earlier report, Fairfax FFS found that the county saw a dramatic increase in fatalities and serious injuries last year from any other year going back to 2010 — the first year where data is available.
The median count for pedestrian fatalities in Fairfax County was 13, but there were over twice as many in 2022.
Fairfax FSS lays the blame at underfunding for pedestrian-focused projects in its report:
Years of underfunding of critical projects and lack of sufficient attention to pedestrian safety in new projects and development has led to increasing systemic risk for pedestrian safety. Safety is more important than speed. Particular attention is needed to provide safety in identified high risk corridors. While we applaud increased commitment for future funding, the proposed levels are insufficient to reduce today’s risk.
Most of that frustration was directed at VDOT, which controls the majority of the county’s roadways.
According to the report:
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), as the primary agency with authority for road infrastructure design and maintenance throughout Fairfax County, bears significant responsibility for the safety of pedestrians. The high number and increasing trend of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries indicates that VDOT has not sufficiently prioritized pedestrian safety, lacks an understanding of the current risks to pedestrians, and/or has operationally failed a basic safety responsibility. Fairfax FSS requests VDOT leadership evaluate its culture, organizational structure, and operations to ensure that pedestrian safety is appropriately elevated and integrated throughout VDOT.
The report also said Virginia’s criminal code is too lenient on drivers who crash into and kill pedestrians. Of the 32 pedestrian fatalities in 2022, only five crashes saw the drivers charged with a felony. One case was finalized, with the driver pleading guilty to a misdemeanor. Four others remain pending.
Four drivers were charged with misdemeanors. One was reduced to an infraction, one was found not guilty, and another was abandoned without prosecution. The last case remains pending. One driver was charged with an infraction.
“The report also highlights the lack of consequences in Virginia’s criminal code when drivers who crash into and kill pedestrians (many of whom had the legal right of way in a crosswalk) receive de minimis financial fines, no points and rarely jail time of any sort,” the release said.
Fairfax FSS said local residents should expect more from their local and state elected officials when it comes to pedestrian safety.
“Each pedestrian fatality and serious injury is preventable,” the release said. “Our local and state elected leaders along with transportation officials need to demonstrate a greater level of commitment and urgency in implementing comprehensive and effective solutions. Making greater investment today will save lives tomorrow.”
Work on establishing a new economic vision for the Lake Anne area is underway.
In collaboration with consulting firm Streetsense, the county is currently courting feedback via a public survey on economic visioning for the Lake Anne Commercial Revitation Area, an area that was designated as a possible hotspot for commercial revitalization in 1998.
The survey comes after Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn jumpstarted an effort to establish a vision for the area.
“The goal is to develop a market appropriate, aspirational economic vision that builds on the historic and unique characteristics of the Lake Anne area,” the survey says.
In a letter distributed to area residents and stakeholders, Alcorn stressed that the purpose is to build consensus around the vision for the area.
“Both the supervisor and county staff have no preconceived ideas about specific outcomes but hope that it is a vision that combines an understanding of the local market with the interest of the Lake Anne community,” the letter said.
The survey, which is open through March 10, is public and open to all.
Streetsense is working on a multi-month study as part of its work on the vision. It will include community engagement with residents an business owners, including virtual listening sessions by the media consulting firm.
A half-day, in-person workshop is also planned for April to develop a program of uses and experiences that define the Lake Anne story.
The consultant is expected to present findings from the public engagement phase in May, prior to publishing its final report, which is slated to come forward in early June.
Four Displaced by Two-Alarm Tysons House Fire — A malfunctioning water heater started a fire in the 200 block of Trailwood Court that resulted in approximately $175,000 in property damages, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says. After an initial dispatch at 3:52 a.m. last Thursday (Feb. 23), additional Fairfax County and Arlington units had to be called to the two-story house, but no injuries were reported. [FCFRD]
Maryland Contractor Plans Fairfax County Move — “Amentum Services, Inc., a leading provider of engineering and advanced solutions and services to the U.S. government, allies, and commercial companies, will invest $495,000 to relocate its headquarters from Germantown, Maryland.” Its operations will be consolidated at 4800 Westfields Blvd in Chantilly, a move expected to create 157 new jobs. [FCEDA]
New Child Care Center Coming to Lorton — Expected to start pre-enrollment this May, Brynmor Early Education & Preschool will occupy the historic, currently vacant buildings P1 and P3 at Liberty Market, a development on the former Lorton Prison campus. The new facility will start with 154 kids from 6 weeks to 5 years old and include a “5,500-square-foot, enclosed outdoor play area.” [On the MoVe]
Hunter Mill Supervisor Launches Reelection Bid — “Walter Alcorn officially announced Saturday that he was running for re-election as the Hunter Mill District’s representative on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors…No candidate has come forward yet to challenge Alcorn in either the Democratic Party Primary on June 20 or the general election in November.” [Patch]
Northern Virginia Teens Struggling With Mental Health — “A recently released report shows that youth in Northern Virginia have experienced high rates of clinical depression, anxiety and feelings of hopelessness or sadness. The report from The Community Foundation of Northern Virginia further found that one in 10 high school students in the region had seriously contemplated suicide in the past year.” [Inside NoVA]
What to Know About “Long Covid” — As Fairfax County nears three years since its first COVID-19 case was confirmed, the county’s health department has launched a webpage with information about the long-term health effects experienced by some who’ve contracted the disease. The department notes that “long Covid” can involve physical and mental symptoms that vary from person to person. [FCHD]
Reston Security Tech Company Gets New TSA Contract — “When you go through security lines at the airport, it’s probably technology developed by Reston, Virginia-based Leidos that’s scanning you. And the company just received a new government contract that might make the process less intrusive for some passengers.” [WTOP]
Broadway Star Gives Tips to Tysons Theater Students — “As Marshall High School’s Statesmen Theatre prepares for its spring musical ‘Xanadu,’ there was no one better to help than one of the musical’s Broadway stars. Kerry Butler, who has played roles in Broadway musical premieres like ‘Hairspray,’ ‘Xanadu,’ ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘Beetlejuice,’ visited the high school theater program on Feb. 17.” [Patch]
It’s Tuesday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 58 and low of 45. Sunrise at 6:44 am and sunset at 6:01 pm. [Weather.gov]
Work has begin on a new pedestrian bridge at Sugarland Run Stream Valley Park, according to the Fairfax County Park Authority.
Slated to be completed by the end of the summer, the bridge replaces a span that was removed 15 years ago between Heather Down Drive and Eddyspark Drive.
Once completed, the structure will connect the neighborhood along Heather Down with the Sugarland Run Stream Valley Trail.
Construction will begin in early March, according to FCPA.
Crews will demolish and remove any remaining structures associated with the earlier bridge and construct 10-foot-wide connecting approaches to the bridge.
The project, which is funded through 2020 park bond funds, costs roughly $740,000.
The trail, which is roughly three miles long along the main end, runs from Sugarland Road to the Town of Herndon.
Fairfax County Parkway is one of the main arterial routes through western Fairfax County, but staff say it’s due for an overhaul.
At a recent meeting of the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s Transportation Committee, Department of Transportation senior planner Thomas Burke laid out some of the changes recommended in a recent study of the Fairfax County and Franconia-Springfield parkways.
The study looked at 35 miles of the corridor broken up into five segments. Notably, it evaluated transit and multi-modal transportation along the parkways, rather than just vehicle traffic.
On the multi-modal front, Burke said one key takeaway was that the current bicycle and pedestrian facilities were inadequate.
“There was a lot of support in the community for enhancing bicycle and pedestrian experience on the parkways,” Burke said. “Right now, there’s one trail on one side of the parkway and a few gaps.”
Burke said the first priority should be plugging those gaps to have one contiguous trail running from Reston to Fort Belvoir.
“We took it another step based on community feedback,” Burke said. “Why don’t we put a trail on the other side so you don’t have to cross a six-lane highway to get to the shared use path, especially if you don’t need to cross it because origin and destination are on the same side?”
On the other hand, Burke said there isn’t enough demand for transit along the parkway for that to make sense as an emphasis for any sort of parkway overhaul.
“We took a transit look as well: transit is an interesting challenge for the parkways because there’s not a lot of density or employment centers,” Burke said. “There’s a lot of low-density areas and not a whole lot of jobs.”
Burke said the study similarly didn’t find as much demand for the high-occupancy vehicle options seen on other roadways around Fairfax County.
“For decades we’ve had HOV recommendations for most of the parkways,” Burke said. “From Franconia-Springfield — where the Metro is — up to Route 7, all has little diamonds signifying there will eventually be HOV…But we did not find a lot of demand.”
Burke said the study considered both 2+ and 3+ HOV lanes, but found low demand for either option.
The study also looked at road widening, with earlier staff recommendations saying parts of the parkway should be increased to eight lanes. But for the most part, Burke said the study found six lanes was sufficient for the northernmost sections of Fairfax County Parkway.
At the southernmost point of the study, where the Franconia-Springfield Parkway connects to Richmond Highway, Burke said the study recommended increasing the roadway to six travel lanes in parts. Just north of that section, where Fairfax County Parkway connects to Beulah Street, Burke said current plans to increase the parkway to eight lanes overshot the mark, and the road only needs its current six lanes.
Burke noted that this study is looking at long-range transportation improvements. Any of those changes, particularly the widening, could take 10-30 years to implement.
In parts, Burke said there was some community resistance to widening the parkways, and before Fairfax County goes forward with widening in those sections, there should be additional research and analysis.
A pair of virtual meetings to discuss the changes are planned for Wednesday, March 1 at noon and Thursday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m.
Image via Google Maps
A new and expanded version of a policy to preserve dark skies around the Turner Farm Park Observatory in Great Falls is now on the table.
Fairfax County staff have presented an additional round of amendments to the draft policy, which would amend zoning standards for outdoor lighting within a half-mile of the observatory, which is located at the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Springvale Road.
The proposed changes add flexibility for outdoor lighting while still reducing exemptions from dark sky-compliant lighting, according to the county.
The changes were proposed in response to mixed community input.
“Community input on the proposed amendment has been mixed, with some in favor of additional regulations and some against,” the county said.
Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) Vice President Chris Rich told FFXnow he was pleased to see the changes in response to concerns raised by the association and residents.
“Reaching common ground on how to protect the dark skies in the area, especially around the County observatory, is a goal of the state law that authorizes this local legislative action,” Rich wrote in a statement. “It’s also consistent with one of GFCA’s goals to recognize the importance of promoting public awareness and benefits of guarding against excessive and misdirected artificial light at night.”
Compared to the August version of the changes, the latest amendment allows legally existing lights to remain until replaced and removes a previous requirement that stated existing lights must comply within five years of the policy’s adoption and implementation.
Rules for motion-activated lights on single-family houses remain the same, reducing permitted lumens to 1,500. For other lights on single-family homes, the latest change states that lights need to be fully cut-off and comply with setback requirements, unless they’re 20 lumens or less or located on a door or garage.
The August version created exceptions for lighting in a driveway or walkway of 10 lumens or less and one light at each exterior door or garage. Both proposals capped the light limit to 1,500 lumens per fixture.
For uprights and spotlights, the proposal allows any number of fixtures with a maximum of 300 lumens per fixture. The previous plan limited lights to 15 light fixtures per lot.
Jennifer Falcone, a member of GFCA’s land use and zoning and environment and parks committees, said that an official position on the new draft language is still up in the air.
“The process continues and won’t be concluded until formal public hearings are conducted following a decision by the Board of Supervisors to advertise the proposed amendment,” she said. “Because of that, GFCA’s Board will await publication of the final draft language of the proposed amendment before it submits its position.”
Discussions have been underway for more than a year on the proposed ordinance. The observatory is working towards becoming an official urban night sky place through the International Dark Sky Association.
The issue has sparked a wide spectrum of opinions, from concerns about built-in protections to deter criminal activity to the need to limit light pollution and efforts to balance the observatory’s needs.
GFCA held the first official public meeting on the issue last March. The association has historically supported efforts to preserve the area’s dark skies.
The county will hold a virtual meeting on the proposed changes today at 7 p.m.
Passenger in Annandale Truck Crash Dies — The 27-year-old passenger of a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado that crashed into a tree and light pole by Little River Turnpike near John Marr Drive on Jan. 27 died at a hospital from his injuries last Tuesday (Feb. 21). The 29-year-old driver may face additional charges after already being charged with driving under the influence and without a license. [FCPD]
Government Center Affordable Housing Approved — Last week, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the Residences at Government Center II plan and $14 million in funding. The development will consist of two mid-rise residential buildings with 279 units for those earning between 30 and 70% of the area median income, along with a childcare center and urban park. [Fairfax County]
School Board Asks for Annual Pedestrian Safety Review — “On Thursday night, the School Board unanimously voted to seek an annual School Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Assessment Program from the superintendent…The annual review will examine schools with the most pressing road safety needs, safety mitigation measures, timelines to implement improvements, and updates on past mitigation projects.” [Patch]
Great Falls Delegate Won’t Seek Reelection — “Virginia Del. Kathleen Murphy of McLean announced Friday she will not run for re-election this fall after being placed into the same district as a fellow Democratic delegate…Shortly after Murphy’s announcement, Sullivan issued a news release stating that he would run for re-election in that district in the fall.” [Inside NoVA]
School Board Adopts Advertised Budget — The Fairfax County School Board adopted the FY 2024 Advertised Budget on Thursday. Totaling $3.5 billion, the budget highlights include $2 million to add more pre-K classrooms, free access to middle school athletic programs, and $6 million to develop strategies for closing the literacy achievement gap. [FCPS]
Annandale to Appear on PBS Show Next Week — “If You Lived Here” will air an episode on Annandale on Monday, March 6 after recently visiting Vienna. In addition to touring local homes, the episode will feature the Artisans United collective, a second-generation Korean-American restaurateur, and the sports memorabilia and comics shop Collector’s World. [Annandale Today]
Construction Progresses on Springfield Garage — “Construction on track to be completed in Fall 2023. This commuter garage will provide more options for Connector riders. And the pedestrian bridge over Old Keene Mill Rd. will provide access to bus stops and connect Springfield Plaza to the garage.” [Fairfax Connector/Twitter]
Legislative Deal May Tighten Regulation of Dominion Energy — “Virginia lawmakers have reached a tentative bipartisan agreement to bring the state’s biggest utility…under tighter regulatory oversight — reversing years of actions that loosened the reins over the powerful company.” The proposal would increase the frequency of SCC rate reviews and require 85% of “over-earnings” be refunded to customers, among other provisions. [The Washington Post]
Unbuilt McLean Home Tops D.C. Area Real Estate Listings — A vacant, 5-acre McLean property at 7020 Green Oak Drive hit the market Friday (Feb. 24) for $50 million. The planned, 30,000-square-foot mansion will have six bedrooms, 10 full baths, 10 half-baths and amenities that include a rooftop putting green, a crystal champagne room, a bowling alley, swimming pools, a full-sized sports arena, and a disco pub with a full bar and cigar room. [Washington Business Journal]
It’s Monday — Rain in the evening and overnight. High of 48 and low of 35. Sunrise at 6:45 am and sunset at 6:00 pm. [Weather.gov]
Cerebral, a public art piece created by South Lakes High School’s STEAM club on the Lake Thoreau spillway, is officially no more.
There are no plans to install the sculpture after high winds loosed its joints and its pieces fell into the lake and beyond last weekend, according to SLHS art teacher Marco Rando.
The sculpture is the first to fail because of the elements and the seventh installation overall placed by the club on the spillway.
Rando said that, although the sculpture is designed and engineered for extreme elements using hurricane ties, the winds damaged some of the joints.
“The tie down cables worked to keep the elements secured to the concrete base even when half sculpture fell into the lake,” Rando said. “Fortunately the wood members of the sculpture allowed the work to float, this helped in towing the work to shore where it was disassembled in smaller pieces for transport back to the school.”
Because of the significant damage to the sculpture, the team decided not to focus on reassembling.
But it won’t be long before another sculpture will take its place. Students are currently working on a new concept — “Rise” — that will face “more engineering scrutiny” to buttress the sculpture to weather more natural elements.
“The team is very confident this year’s concept will be aesthetically beautiful with added structural details to withstand the erratic weather conditions that seem to be common of the current climate change. The students of STEAM Team take great pride in serving the community,” Rando said.
He says setbacks like the structural failure of an artwork are a learning experience for all.
“Such setbacks will only strengthen the students experience, this real world problem, which occurs on professional levels as well, affords the Team opportunity to examine and resolve issues before they are unsettled,” Rando said.
(Updated at 9:45 a.m. on 3/1/2023) The College Board’s much-debated course on African American identity and history will be available in several Fairfax County high schools this fall as part of a pilot program.
While the state scrutinizes the course, Fairfax County Public Schools plans to offer Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies at the following schools in the next school year, which will begin on Aug. 21:
- Chantilly HS
- Fairfax HS
- Hayfield HS
- McLean HS
- South County
- Westfield HS
- West Potomac HS
- Woodson HS
The course’s availability at each school is “pending student interest/enrollment,” FCPS says.
(Correction: FFXnow was initially told that Centreville High School would be among three schools participating in the pilot, but FCPS says the school won’t be offering the course this coming year.)
According to FCPS, the participating schools “self-selected” for the pilot “based on student and teacher interest.” Principals filled out an interest form sent out by the College Board, which launched the pilot at 60 schools last fall after spending over a decade developing the course.
“FCPS supports offering students multiple opportunities to achieve their academic goals and pursue their academic interests,” an FCPS spokesperson said. “College Board AP courses offer students the opportunity to take nationally recognized curricula with potential college credit, which is why we sought this opportunity for our students.”
A nonprofit focused on access to higher education, the College Board oversees the SAT as well as the AP Program, which provides college-level courses that high school students can take to earn college credits.
The organization released an official framework for its new African American Studies course on Feb. 1, days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said his state rejected the course as “indoctrination” for its inclusion of LGBTQ studies, the Movement for Black Lives and other topics.
The document has drawn criticism from some educators and advocacy organizations for shifting away from subjects and texts in Florida’s complaint. The College Board has denied letting the state influence the curriculum, though it said it independently chose to remove terms like “intersectionality” that are often “misunderstood, misrepresented, and co-opted as political weapons.”
Virginia is one of four states reviewing the course. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has directed Education Secretary Aimee Rogstad Guidera to see if the course violates his executive order prohibiting “inherently divisive concepts” in public schools, spokesperson Macaulay Porter said.
The order defines divisive concepts as ideas that suggest an individual can be racist or sexist based on their identity or bears responsibility for past oppression, citing “critical race theory” as an example even though the academic theory views racism as a structural issue, rather than an individual one.
Five Fairfax County School Board members, including chair and at-large member Rachna Sizemore-Heizer, sent a letter to Youngkin and Guidera on Tuesday (Feb. 21) urging them “not to impede the teaching” of the AP course.
Also signed by Stella Pekarksy (Sully), Melanie Meren (Hunter Mill), Karl Frisch (Providence) and Laura Jane Cohen (Springfield), the letter says the review continues “an alarming pattern of disregard for the academic needs” of Virginia students after last year’s cancellation of a Black History Month Historical Markers contest for students and proposed changes to history and social studies standards of learning.
“As the entry point for the first enslaved Africans in the colonies and home to the nation’s first Black governor, Virginia has been the backdrop for vital pieces of African-American history,” the school board members wrote. “We have a moral obligation to teach our students about both the darkest times from our past and the inspiring progress we have made as a country.”
One school board member not among the signatories told FFXnow she agrees Youngkin’s administration should support the course, but most board members got the letter less than 24 hours before it was sent to the state, giving them little time to review it and offer feedback.
Notably absent are the board’s two Black members: at-large representative Karen Keys-Gamarra and Mason District Representative Ricardy Anderson.
In a joint statement to FFXnow, Keys-Gamarra and Anderson said their decision to refrain from signing “has nothing to do with our lack of support for the course” or their colleagues’ concerns about the state potentially interfering.
“Rather, we believe we could have benefitted from intentional collaboration with our Board colleagues, other Northern Virginia school boards, and organizations engaged in education work to present a more robust and impactful argument,” they said.
They said the letter lacked “essential historical context that would emphasize the extent of the crisis currently impacting K-12 public education,” including Virginia’s history as the base of the Confederacy and Jim Crow laws that segregated schools.
They also suggested the letter should’ve acknowledged that prohibiting the AP course would affect all students, not just African American and Black students.
“Restricting access to this history, places Virginia students at a distinct competitive disadvantage as their lack of knowledge could impede their ability to excel at the college level and beyond,” Keys-Gamarra and Anderson wrote.
It’s unclear if Virginia can actually bar schools from offering African American Studies, since AP courses are chosen by local school districts, not the state Board of Education. The College Board’s pilot is set to expand this fall and continue through 2024.
Updated at 2:10 p.m. — The gas leak in Reston has been stopped. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units are returning to service, but the road closures are expected to remain in place “for several hours” while the roads are repaired, the department says.
Earlier: A gas line in Reston was ruptured this morning (Friday), requiring a near-total shutdown of Wiehle Avenue and Sunset Hills Road.
A 4-inch gas line was hit and “actively leaking” under the roadway, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said at 8:37 a.m.
Sunset Hills Road has been closed except for one westbound lane, and all southbound Wiehle Avenue lanes have been shut down at Isaac Newton Square.
The fire department reported at 9:07 a.m. that the situation has stabilized, but the roads are still closed. The gas company has arrived on the scene and is working “to clamp/stop leak.”
Travelers are still advised to avoid the area. No injuries have been reported, FCFRD says.
UPDATE – situation stable. Gas company on scene to clamp/stop leak. Roadways still shut down. No ETA on roadway opening back up. Avoid area. #FCFRD #traffic https://t.co/bor54LPkdM
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) February 24, 2023
UPDATE – gas leak, Wiehle Ave and Sunset Hills Rd in Reston. Situation remains stable. Gas company on scene. Roadways will be shut down for an unknown and extended amount of time. Avoid area. Seek an alternate route. No reported injuries at this time. #FCFRD #traffic pic.twitter.com/iiNV6YCjH6
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) February 24, 2023
(Updated at 11:35 a.m.) One person was killed and another hospitalized with life-threatening injuries that proved fatal in an apparent domestic violence incident at a home near Frying Pan Farm Park earlier this morning, police said.
Police believe a woman was stabbed in a home on the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way in Herndon. Preliminarily, someone living in the home shot the suspect, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“The stabber was shot and killed by an occupant of the home,” an FCPD spokesperson said.
Police later reported that the woman who was stabbed died at the hospital.
There were four people in the home at the time of the incident, all of whom are known to each other, Police Chief Kevin Davis said in an 11 a.m. briefing. The family also had a little girl who is now with police.
According to Davis, police haven’t determined yet which individual was responsible for the stabbing or the shooting.
Officers are in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Wy in Reston for a shooting. Prelim, a woman was inside a home when she was stabbed. An occupant shot the suspect. One person declared deceased. One taken to hospital w/life-threatening injuries. All parties accounted for. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/TnZBFmTcDz
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) February 24, 2023
