The deadline is nearing for families to decide how they want their kids to return to Fairfax County public schools this year.
Families have until Wednesday, July 15, to complete a form indicating whether they want their kids to take fully online classes or join a hybrid model combining in-person and online learning.
Families who pick the fully online option would have four days of synchronous learning. The hybrid model would combine two days of learning in schools with asynchronous online learning.
Superintendent Scott Brabrand has said that the school system will consider adding more in-person days — not to exceed four — depending on the demand for the hybrid model.
For families who are having trouble deciding, Brabrand encourages parents to see how their kids react to wearing a face covering for six hours — the amount of time they would need to wear it while at school.
No matter which option parents pick, students will return to the county’s public schools on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Let us know in the poll below what your preference is for students returning to school this fall.
Photo via Element5 Digital/Unsplash
Before we head off into another weekend with a stay-at-home order in effect, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.
- Reston Pools Further Reopen With Transition Into Phase 3
- Pedestrian Struck by Vehicle on Wiehle Avenue
- FCPS Superintendent Eyeing Delayed Return to School, Outside Learning
- Tesla Supercharging Station Opens in Reston Station
- Wheelock Continues Courting Ideas for Redevelopment of Hidden Creek Country Club
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your social distancing plans or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
Photo via Comstock
Since 2013, Reston Now has been reporting news about the Reston and Herndon areas. Recently, we started providing additional coverage of Great Falls.
Keep up with our coverage by signing up for our email subscriptions.
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Virginia started Phase Three of reopening last week, opening the door to more options for indoor public spaces like restaurants and fitness centers.
The recent surge of coronavirus cases in California and Texas has led to growing doubts that indoor dining and bar services will — or should — open soon.
While Virginia is fortunate enough to see the number of new cases per day on the decline, some suggest that indoor dining should remain closed to further slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Bolstered by a growing body of research, public health officials say that indoor dining poses more dangerous health risks than other retail activities, even with social distancing.
Patrons can breathe indoor air that is contaminated by the virus and air conditioning. Outdoor dining, however, appears to be safer because respiratory particles are more quickly diluted in open air.
But restaurants — some of which are already struggling due to previous closures and restrictions — may need indoor dining to remain in-tact in order to survive.
Let us know what you think. Should Virginia continue with phase three restrictions or try to preempt a resurgence by closing indoor dining completely?
Photo via The Breeze Restaurant and Sports Bar: Facebook
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
Hundreds of new laws went into effect last Wednesday. A total of 1,289 new laws passed the General Assembly in its regular session in January and February and were signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam.
Even more telling than the number of bills passed is the fact that the new laws in total were the most progressive to ever pass the General Assembly reflecting the shift in power to Democrats who now control both houses of the General Assembly and the Executive Mansion for the first time in more than two decades. A summary of the new laws can be found at In Due Course.
While it has been fewer than four months since the legislature adjourned sine die, it seems like an eternity with the unfolding of events of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting quarantine and the civil and racial unrest sparked by the murder of George Floyd. The impact of the pandemic on the economy necessitates another session of the General Assembly to adjust the biennial budget we just passed months ago to reflect the realities of a plunge downward in revenues. The choices we make will not be easy as we reduce budgets of programs we just recently celebrated. The protests in the streets remind us that we need to get on with significant reforms in policing and criminal justice as I discussed in this column last week.
The Governor is expected to call a special session for probably late August. It will have the broadest agenda of any special session on record. In addition to making tough decisions on the budget, legislators will be asked to enact new laws to further ease access to voting with the challenges COVID-19 makes for voters and to reform policing in very fundamental ways. Already the interested parties are starting their email campaigns to sway legislators on these issues.
None of these issues are over until it is over. One of the highlights of the regular session was the passage of my bill to require a background check for all gun purchases. Already the opponents of gun safety legislation have filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction blocking the expanded background checks that they contend are unconstitutional. I believe the courts will support the law as a necessary action of the legislature to keep the public safe
More than 22,000 persons demonstrated at the Capitol on one day during the regular session supporting what they term second amendment rights and opposing any gun safety bills; 16,000 of them were armed with all types of guns. They were not successful in that effort with seven of eight proposed gun safety laws passing. They have already starting an intense email campaign against any bill such as the one that failed to ban assault weapons.
The message in the intense and prolonged protests in the streets that can be summarized as “Black lives matter” must be addressed in the special session. A number of sweeping proposals will be before the legislature with support and opposition. It is not yet over on these issues as well that require our strong voices and advocacy in order to become law.
File photo
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
Back in March, a couple of weeks after the 2020 General Assembly session had adjourned, I wrote in my weekly column that while the annual meeting of the state legislature had been “historic, transformative, and consequential” there was also as I entitled the column “More Work Left to be Done.” At the time it was expected that many of the issues that had not been addressed would be taken up in future legislative sessions. There was no way to know the explosive nature of subsequent events that now make it clear that we must get back to work without delay.
The indelible photo of a policeman choking the life out of a black man without provocation or cause made it clear to me and others that there are injustices in our society that cannot wait to be addressed. The Black Lives Matter movement has made the need crystal clear. The stories of black persons who have come forth to tell what it is like to grow up black in this country make my heart weep. Fellow delegate Don Scott made the case clearly in an opinion piece he wrote last week: “The daily indignities of being black can be burdensome. If we respond to it all, we would have riots daily. Black people, for the most part, have always been tolerant. Even with all of our progress, President Barack Obama and all, we are reminded that George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery could have been any of us. That is why we are outraged and, truth be told, very afraid.” We cannot have a just society when so many of our citizens live in very real fear.
I am pleased that leadership of the House of Delegates and Senate have announced that the special session of the General Assembly, expected to be held in late August to deal with budgetary adjustments that must be addressed with the current economic depression, will be expanded to include proposed legislation to address injustices in our criminal justice system and in our policing. The Legislative Black Caucus of the General Assembly has proposed an extensive agenda that includes declaring racism a public health crisis, creating a civilian review board of policing action with subpoena power, ending qualified immunity for police officers, expanding the use of body cameras, defining and restricting excessive use of force including banning the use of chokeholds and restricting the use of tear gas and militarization tactics and weapons against civilians, passing “Breonna’s Law” to end no-knock warrants, reducing police presence in schools and replacing them with mental health professionals, reinstituting parole, passing cash bail reform, and more.
At the beginning of the session earlier this year the Speaker of the House of Delegates changed the name and mission of the Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee to be the Public Safety Committee. I am pleased to have been named a member of that committee. With the Courts of Justice Committee we will be having three virtual public hearings on a schedule to be announced. In the meantime, your suggestions on getting this work done would be appreciated.
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Several local fireworks and festivities for Independence Day have been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
The Town of Herndon has already called off its fireworks display. Fireworks are still set to take place in D.C., though.
Fairfax County has advice for using fireworks safely and determining which are illegal and legal.
Let us know in the poll below what you plan to do for the Fourth of July.
Photo by Sheri Hooley on Unsplash
Before we head off into another weekend with a stay-at-home order in effect, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.
- JUST IN: Homicide Investigation Underway After Woman Found Dead in Reston Home
- Reston Town Center Sees Dining Changes as Restrictions Ease
- Death Investigation Underway in Reston Neighborhood (5.2k)
- Reston Residents Call for Removal of Confederate Monument in Fairfax
- Report: Fairfax County Police Disproportionately Use Force on Black Individuals
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your social distancing plans or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
Photo by R. Dawson/Flickr
Since 2013, Reston Now has been reporting news about the Reston and Herndon areas. Recently, we started providing additional coverage of Great Falls.
Keep up with our coverage by signing up for our email subscriptions.
The afternoon email — sent at 4 p.m. — rounds up the most recently published stories and sponsored content on our site. Our morning email is currently on a hiatus.
You can also opt in to receive emails we send on behalf of local businesses and nonprofits. If you opt-out, you’ll still receive an occasional event or offer-related email as part of your subscription.
Note: we will never share your email address with a third-party.
Thank you to everyone who has signed up for our email subscriptions already!
If you would like to continue reading Reston Now and you’re able to give us a few bucks a month, we would greatly appreciate you contributing to our coverage via PayPal or joining our Patreon.
Not receiving emails or want to change your subscriptions? You can re-enter your email in the subscription sign-up, which will then pop up a message saying that email is already subscribed. The message will prompt you to update your profile, which will then send you an email that will let you manage your subscriptions.
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
Words have meanings defined in the dictionary that can take on other meaning within the context in which they are being used. Never has it been more important that we understand the meaning and use of words than in present day politics.
Last week I wrote about “Black lives matter” and the importance that we hear the message that is being conveyed with that sentence. It is a group of words whose meaning has been ignored for too long. The current demonstrations literally around the world are intended to place an exclamation point at the end to emphasize that they must finally be heard and understood. I believe with each demonstration of thousands of people and with each statue that comes down the message that black lives matter is finally coming through. We need to get on with the changes that are needed in society and in our laws that show that we understand that black lives do matter. There is no turning back now.
When the grossly disproportionate number of black persons killed by white policemen that videos have made totally clear, the need for major and immediate changes to our policing system have become obvious. We need to make sure that the words we use to bring out those changes are not used against us. The societal needs for which our current police forces have been given responsibility in recent years are too broad and need to be reimagined and redefined. We cannot allow those who view societal challenges in law and order terms to use the term “defund the police” against those who understand that policing policies need to change. While some people mean a total defunding of police departments when they use the slogan, “defund the police,” many of us believe police departments will continue to need to exist but be demilitarized and not be the sole responders to community incidents. We need to define a role for public safety and community personnel who can keep our communities safe without confrontation and expand the availability of mental health workers in our communities. You can be sure that there will be a war of words over public safety and policing in the next several elections, and we must work hard to get our message clear.
In 1993 the first woman attorney general of Virginia was up by 20 points in a race to be the first woman governor of Virginia by defeating the Republican candidate, George Allen Jr. An incident of a person committing a crime while on parole from a Virginia prison during the political campaign led to Allen adopting an “end parole” theme to keep Virginians safe that led to his upset victory. The resulting end parole policy led to filling the jails and prisons, a massive prison building program, and lengthy prison terms for persons who were no longer a threat to society. We have only recently begun to undo the damage done by that simple bumper-strip term “end parole” that led to many lives–disproportionately black–being destroyed by a terrible public policy.
Words do have meaning, but we need to be clear what those words truly mean as they impact public policy.
File photo
Now that Northern Virginia has entered the second reopening phase, Fairfax County is now allowing public swimming with some restrictions.
The county allowed indoor and outdoor swimming pools to open on Friday, June 10, only for lap swimming, diving, exercise and instruction.
Public pools, including ones in communities, cannot open right now for recreational use. Currently, hot tubs, spas, saunas, splash pads, spray pools and interactive features are still closed.
People who operate public aquatic venues can find a list of safety recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some of the suggestions include disinfecting frequently touched areas, ensuring there’s proper ventilation and encouraging swimmers to social distance.
“There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, or water playgrounds. Additionally, proper operation of these aquatic venues and disinfection of the water (with chlorine or bromine) should inactivate the virus,” according to the CDC.
The CDC notes that decisions for whether or how to open the facilities “should be made locally” with input from local health officials.
Fairfax County’s restrictions on public swimming include:
- limiting pool lanes to three people spaced 10 feet apart
- limiting diving areas to three people spaced 10 feet apart
- limiting water classes so participants can stay 10 feet apart
- cleaning and disinfecting shared equipment after each use
How do you feel about using public pools?
Photo by Marcus Ng on Unsplash
COVID-19 prompted restrictions on personal grooming services for two months. Now with Virginia progressing with its phased reopening plan, people can get their hair cut or nails done professionally.
Today, Fairfax County entered the second phase of the reopening plan. Personal grooming services that have reopened are still by appointment-only under the Phase Two guidelines.
Personal care services were first allowed to reopen in the county on May 29. Currently, customers and employees must wear face coverings, and the businesses are limited to 50% capacity.
Let us know in the poll below if you’ve been to a salon, barber, spa, tanning salon and/or tattoo shop since the rollback started on the COVID-19 restrictions. If you have any interesting stories about haircuts at home, let us know in the comments section.
Photo by Mostafa Meraji/Unsplash
This is an opinion column by Del. Ken Plum (D), who represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.
Finding the words to describe the period of history in which Virginia finds itself is challenging. Readers of this column know that over the past several months I have been using adjectives indicating increasing significance of events that started with the historic (I have used this adjective many times) outcomes of the elections of 2019 to the transformative (future events will prove that this is the correct adjective) legislative session of 2020. Events of the past week add another descriptor of the changes that are taking place in the Old Dominion: monumental. Yes, the word applies to the monuments of which Virginia is home to many, but it applies also to what is happening to these monuments.
Governor Ralph Northam announced last week that the 60-foot high equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue is coming down right away! The Mayor and City Council of Richmond agree that the remaining five other grandiose Confederacy-related statues come down as well. The grand boulevard that was named in 2007 as being one of the “10 Great Streets in America” and was in the early 1900’s a significant part of the Lost Cause movement to glorify and justify the South’s position in the Civil War will be left with one statue–that of Arthur Ashe, the Black Richmond native who was an international tennis star. A bill is being introduced to remove the statue of former governor and U.S. senator Harry Byrd from Capitol Grounds. Byrd is notable as the head of a political machine that maintained its power by keeping Black citizens from voting. He also led the “massive resistance” movement that delayed school desegregation in Virginia by a decade. There will be other monuments coming down in other locations as has already happened in Alexandria City.
Monumental but not relating to the statues is the work done by the General Assembly in its 2020 session to remove from the Code “explicitly racist language and segregationist policies.” While no longer in effect, these parts of the Code nonetheless stood as a reminder of the racist history of the Commonwealth. The changes came from recommendations made by a commission appointed by Governor Ralph Northam to remove laws that “were intended to or could have the effect of promoting or enabling racial discrimination or inequity.”
The “Act to Preserve Racial Integrity” that banned interracial marriage was repealed as was the Code provision “no child shall be required to enroll in or attend any school wherein both white and colored children are enrolled.” Other state laws to require segregation of the races in transportation and health care facilities were no longer in effect but remained on the books.
While removing statues of people from the past and repealing laws that were previously replaced by other laws or over-ruled by court decisions may be called symbolism by some, the symbols they represent are important. Virginia leaders along with its citizens must make it clear that the divisions of people of the past are over. We need through our words and actions to demonstrate a monument to openness and acceptance of all people.
File photo
Before we head off into another weekend with a stay-at-home order in effect, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now in recent days.
- On Day One of Reopening, Customer Leaves $1,000 Tip at Reston Restaurant (24.5k)
- Roundup: Town of Herndon Restaurants Now Open for Expanded Outdoor Dining (3.5k)
- ‘Demonstration of Solidarity’ Planned in Reston for George Floyd
- Stanley Martin Proposes Redeveloping Herndon Parkway Offices into Residential Development
- PHOTOS: Community Car Parade Honors South Lakes High School’s Class of 2020
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your social distancing plans or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
Since 2013, Reston Now has been reporting news about the Reston and Herndon areas. Recently, we started providing additional coverage of Great Falls.
Keep up with our coverage by signing up for our email subscriptions.
The afternoon email — sent at 4 p.m. — rounds up the most recently published stories and sponsored content on our site. Our morning email is currently on a hiatus.
You can also opt in to receive emails we send on behalf of local businesses and nonprofits. If you opt-out, you’ll still receive an occasional event or offer-related email as part of your subscription.
Note: we will never share your email address with a third-party.
Thank you to everyone who has signed up for our email subscriptions already!
If you would like to continue reading Reston Now and you’re able to give us a few bucks a month, we would greatly appreciate you contributing to our coverage via PayPal or joining our Patreon.
Not receiving emails or want to change your subscriptions? You can re-enter your email in the subscription sign-up, which will then pop up a message saying that email is already subscribed. The message will prompt you to update your profile, which will then send you an email that will let you manage your subscriptions.
