Home-schoolers in Reston and other Virginia locations are closer than ever to getting the right to play for their local high school teams.
After several years of failed attempts, the Virginia General Assembly this week passed legislation to allow home-schooled students to participate in public-school sports.
The measure is commonly known as the “Tebow bill.” It is named for Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback who was home-schooled and allowed to play football for his local high school.
The idea has been repeatedly passed by the Republican-heavy Virginia House of Delegates in recent sessions before being killed in the state Senate.
The Senate, which flipped from Democratic to Republican control last year, approved the bill Tuesday on a 22-13 vote. The bill now heads back to the House.
However, the bill leaves it up to local school boards whether to implement the policy.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe has not said whether he will sign it.
While no cases of measles have been diagnosed in Fairfax County recently, the discussion of state-mandated vaccines is a hot topic this week.
More than 100 people have been diagnosed with the disease in the last month. At least 90 of the cases were believed to have begun when a person contagious with the disease visited Disneyland.
The measles vaccine has been commonplace since the mid-1960s. Prior to the 1960s, nearly 4 million Americans under age 15 contracted the disease annually, says the United States Centers for Disease Control. The CDC had considered measles in the U.S. eradicated in 2000.
But last year the CDC reported 54 people in the U.S. have reported being infected with measles in January and February alone.
While most people recover well, measles can lead to ear infection, pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and death, says the CDC.
Nearly 95 percent of kindergartners nationwide were vaccinated against measles, according to the CDC. However, 48 states allow for exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
Mississippi and West Virginia, the two states that allow only medical exemptions to vaccination, have had no measles cases this year.
Virginia is among the states that allow for medical or religious exemptions.
In Fairfax County, students are required to have a long list of vaccinations, including measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), polio, Hepatitis B, tetanus and whooping cough, among others.
Students must show vaccination proof to enter kindergarten and again to enter sixth grade, unless they opt out for religious or medical reasons. There is also a small number of “conditionally enrolled” students whose records are in the process of being obtained.
In 2011, the medical journal Pediatrics said that one in 10 parents don’t vaccinate within a vaccine schedule recommended by the CDC. About 13 percent either delayed, skipped or made up their own vaccine schedule.
In Fairfax County, the majority follow the vaccination guidelines, said an FCPS spokesman. The Virginia Department of Health has a tool to break down immunization records by school.
Here is how Reston schools stack up with overall vaccinations, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
South Lakes and Herndon High Schools are slated get renovations to hold more students after the Fairfax County Public Schools Board approved an $856 million Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for 2016-2020.
The school board approved the five-year plan, $220 million of which is currently funded with approved school bonds, at its meeting on Thursday.
The remainder of the funds for the CIP will comes from a school bond referendum in the fall of 2015 and subsequent years, FCPS says.
“With increasing enrollment and aging facilities, it remains a challenge to respond to our capital and infrastructure needs,” says School Board Chair Tammy Derenak Kaufax.
“More than 35 percent of our schools are over capacity and our efforts to renovate schools and increase capacity are limited by the current bond sale allocation which remains insufficient to meet our ongoing capital needs. Unfortunately, this means we are going to have to continue to use temporary classrooms for the foreseeable future in order to accommodate our students.”
The school system has grown by more then 2,000 students a year the past several years, FCPS Superintendent Karen Garza said. She estimated in December that FCPS, which now has 187,000 students (22,000 more than in 2006) may have 198,000 students in 2019-2020. It is among the largest schools systems in the United States.
The money to build an addition at SLHS, which is now overcrowded after a redistricting to add more students seven years ago, comes from the $225 million school bond referendum voters approved in 2013. SLHS will have the capacity for 2,700 students after the addition is built. Herndon’s capacity is expected to increase to 2,500 after expansion there.
Other enhancements affecting the Reston from that bond round include capacity enhancements and renovations at Langley, Herndon, and Oakton High Schools.
Also part of the plan, an elementary redistricting once Terraset and Sunrise Valley Elementary Schools complete renovations next school year. When the renovations are completed, Terraset will have a capacity of 800 and Sunrise Valley ES will have a capacity of 750.
Other suggestions and plans for Area 1 (Herndon and Reston) in the 2016-2020 CIP include:
- Aldrin and Armstrong ES: Reassign the Advanced Academic (AAP) students residing within the Aldrin ES and Armstrong ES attendance areas from Forest Edge ES AAP Center to the already existing Clearview ES AAP Center upon completion of the renovation.
- Hughes MS: Renovation and capacity enhancement to be completed in the 10-year CIP cycle.
- Herndon MS: Capacity deficit accommodated with temporary facilities or interior architectural modifications.
- Herndon HS is predicted to be at 114 percent capacity, among the highest in the county, by 2019-20. Herndon will undergo renovation that will increase capacity to 2,500 students.
- New High School: Construct a new high school in the western end of the Silver Line Metro vicinity. This solution will involve multiple boundary adjustments to the schools in the western portion of the county, taking some of the overpopulation away from Herndon and South Lakes High Schools.
Read more about the CIP on FCPS’ website.
File photo
Snow fell overnight, causing a number of closures and delays for Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Fairfax County and School Status
- Fairfax County Government offices are open today, however employees have been granted unscheduled leave. Emergency service personnel should report as scheduled.
- Fairfax County Public Schools are closed today, Jan. 27, 2014. School Age Child Care(SACC) centers are closed.
- The Fairfax County Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court have not yet made a decision on operating status as of 7 a.m.
Parks, Community and Recreation and Community Centers
- If you have questions about Park Authority facilities, contact the site directly, visit fairfaxcounty.gov/parks.
- For Department of Neighborhood and Community Services programs and events visit fairfaxcounty.gov/ncs.
The Reston Community Center and the McLean Community Center may be affected by the inclement weather. Call RCC at 703-476-4500, TTY 711, restoncommunitycenter.com or MCC at 703-790-0123, TTY 711, www.mcleancenter.org for their current operating status.
Lake Anne in snow/file photo
Fairfax County Public Schools have cancelled all evening and afternoon activities on school grounds for Wednesday due to the falling snow.
Cancelled are:
- extracurricular activities
- interscholastic contests
- team practices
- field trips
- middle school after-school programs
- professional learning and training courses
- adult and community education classes
- recreation programs and community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS
School Age Child Care (SACC) will remain open until 6:15 p.m.
File photo
A full day of school when the snow is falling and the driving is terrible. A day off when a few flakes fall. In between, a whole bunch of two-hour delays.
That’s been the story for Fairfax County Public Schools since Jan. 6.
First, about four inches of snow fell and the buses got stuck and Superintendent Karen Garza admitted “we made the wrong call” about remaining open.
In the six schools days since, there has been one full day of school. Today, school was cancelled. In Reston and this portion of the county, no more than a dusting fell.
Meanwhile, the Capital Weather Gang says to cut the schools a break on today’s decision. It was a tricky forecast.
Why can’t the county seem to get it right? Are they playing it too safe after the #CloseFCPS publicity of last week?
Photo of Jan. 6 snow near Langston Hughes Middle School.
Fairfax County Schools are closed on Wednesday. From the county:
All Fairfax County public schools and offices will be closed today, Jan. 14 (Condition 1). The following activities in schools and on school grounds are canceled:
- extracurricular activities
- interscholastic contests
- team practices
- field trips
- middle school after-school programs
- professional learning and training courses
- adult and community education classes
- recreation programs and community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS
School age child care (SACC) centers are closed.
Fairfax County Schools Superintendent Karen Garza presented a $2.6 billion budget to the school board on Thursday, saying the schools needed an increase of $64 million (2.6 percent) for Fiscal Year 2016.
Garza said the FY 2016 Proposed Budget addresses several significant rising costs such as growing enrollment and changing student demographics, as well as compensation increases for employees.
It also includes resources for full-day Mondays in the elementary schools, which were quickly implemented this school year without being fully funded, and the implementation of later high school start times, which will go into effect in 2015-16.
The budget will also address large elementary class sizes, a growing concern Garza heard on her recent principal’s listening tour stop in Reston.
“This is a realistic and practical budget that once again uses a shared approach of reducing expenditures and requesting additional revenue while protecting the classroom and programs for students,” Garza said in a statement.
“The FY 2016 Proposed Budget is not reflective of all the needs of the district. Recognizing the fiscal challenges we are currently facing now and in the future, we made a concerted effort to stay as close as possible to the budget guidance provided to us by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. We need a long-term strategy for funding our schools that is predictable and sustainable. Balancing each year’s budget on continued reductions is not sustainable and it will erode the quality of our school system.”
The FY 2016 Proposed Budget includes reductions of $55.4 million, which would be achieved through compensation base savings resulting from employee turnover; lower health insurance costs; reductions to centrally managed accounts including fuel, utilities, and employee benefits; and savings produced by last year’s system wide reorganization. Read More
Fairfax County Public Schools will open two hours late on Friday, Jan. 9. From FCPS:
All Fairfax County public schools and school offices will open two hours late on January 9, 2015 (Condition 3). Central offices will open at 10 a.m.
Morning preschool (special education) classes are canceled.
Afternoon preschool classes start on their regular schedule.
Full-day preschool (special education) and Family and Early Childhood E
ducation Program/Head Start classes start two hours later than the regular schedule.
Morning field trips are canceled.
SACC centers will open at 7 a.m.
Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled.
Transportation for afternoon academy classes will be provided.
Adult and community education classes will start on time.
Fairfax County Public Schools decided early on Thursday to close for the day because many buses would not run in the near-zero morning temperatures, the school system said.
On Wednesday, the system had originally planned a two-hour delay for Thursday as temperatures were expected to be close to zero this morning.
FCPS, which received major criticism from the community and eventually admitted making the “wrong call” in remaining open in Tuesday’s snowfall, says this about today’s decision:
The decision to change from a two-hour delayed opening to an all day closing for schools was made today because, as our bus drivers reported to work, it was evident that many of our buses would not start in this morning’s cold weather.
We did not want students waiting in this cold for buses that may be running late because engines wouldn’t start. In addition, the refreeze of snow and ice on residential streets and sidewalks also made walking and travel treacherous.
We understand the change to an all day closing creates problems for many, particularly our SACC families, but we believe this decision is best for our students. Thank you for your support and understanding.
Did FCPS make the right call today? Tell us in the comments.
(Updated, Thursday, 7 a.m.).
Fairfax County Schools will be closed due to extremely low temperatures on Thursday.
The school had previously announced Wednesday night it would be on a two-hour delay.
Original story:
Fairfax County Public Schools will begin two hours late on Thursday due to extremely cold temperatures in the forecast.
Lows Thursday morning in Reston will be 7 degrees, but with the wind chill it will feel like -6, the National Weather Service said.
The school system also had a two-hour delay on Wednesday in order to clear snow from Tuesday’s snowstorm.
From FCPS:
All Fairfax County public schools and school offices will open two hours late on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Central offices will open at 10 a.m.
Morning preschool (special education) classes are canceled.
Afternoon preschool classes start on their regular schedule.
Full-day preschool (special education) and Family and Early Childhood Education Program/Head Start classes start two hours later than the regular schedule.
Morning field trips are canceled.
SACC centers will open at 7:00 a.m.
Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled. Transportation for afternoon academy classes will be provided.
Adult and community education classes will start on time.
After students in teacher Evan Millar’s fifth-grade class at Terraset Elementary School made it into the building Tuesday, they learned a lesson in effective communication.
Forget #CLOSEFCPS, which was briefly trending on Twitter as about four inches of snow fell outside. Fairfax County Public Schools was widely criticized for its decision to start school on time despite the snow. FCPS admitted by Tuesday afternoon that they made the wrong call.
Millar went old school, instructing his students to write their opinions in well-constructed, persuasive essays — using their best vocabulary words — to FCPS Assistant Superintendent Jeffrey Platenberg, who is tasked with making the final call on snow days.
Here are a few examples of the fifth-graders’ work:
Dear Mr. Platenberg,
Today it was a snowy and freezing day. I had a rough time getting to school. I think you shouldn’t have opened school today.
I’m going to be 100% honest. When I was at the bus stop, it was very cold and my feet felt like they were going to fall off. I was late for school today because the bus was late. The bus driver was trying to be careful by driving slowly. The bus driver had to because the roads were icy and covered with snow. The bus driver could hardly see anything.
You are kind of in charge of the buses because if school were closed, the buses wouldn’t have come. The cars were slipping and sliding everywhere because of the snow and ice. It was very slippery outside. I fell when I was just walking and I fell on concrete. Read More
Fairfax County Public Schools, which received loud criticism for holding school as scheduled as snow fell on Tuesday, says classes will begin two hours late on Wednesday.
From FCPS:
All Fairfax County public schools and school offices will open two hours late on Wednesday, January 7.. Central offices will open at 10 a.m.
Morning preschool (special education) classes are canceled.
Afternoon preschool classes start on their regular schedule.
Full-day preschool (special education) and Family and Early Childhood Education Program/Head Start classes start two hours later than the regular schedule.
Morning field trips are canceled.
SACC centers will open at 7:00 a.m.
Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled. Transportation for afternoon academy classes will be provided.
Adult and community education classes will start on time.
FCPS told staffers they would be granted an extra day of leave time for working on Tuesday. If they did not make it to work, they would also be granted an additional day of administrative leave time for the day (and not have to use sick or personal time).
(Updated 2:20 p.m. with new statement from Fairfax County Public Schools)
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza issued a statement Tuesday afternoon regarding the decision to not delay or close schools despite Tuesday morning’s snowfall.
Meanwhile, all Tuesday evening and after-school activities are canceled, FCPS says.
Wrote Garza:
It is clear that our decision to keep schools open today was the wrong call given the intensity of this weather system. We are very sorry for that. We have heard from many of our families and we are listening. We thank you for your patience and working with us through this very difficult circumstance. Student safety is always our first priority in determining whether to open or close schools.
We will dismiss schools at their normal times this afternoon. Although weather and road conditions are improving, we do anticipate that some of our buses will experience additional delays transporting students home. As we indicated to you earlier, if you wish to pick up your child early, please feel free to make those arrangements with your school. SACC centers will be open today until 6:15 p.m., which is their regular closing time. SACC administrators request parents make every effort to pick up children earlier, if possible.
We appreciate the many teachers and school staff members that worked diligently to get our schools ready. We have also heard that many parents volunteered to help the schools welcome our students.
Our focus now is to get our students and staff home safely this afternoon. Students who were unable to get to school today will be given excused absences.
Please know we will be going over our procedures and processes to make every improvement possible to avoid the situation we encountered this morning. We are closely monitoring the weather conditions and will make a decision with regard to schools opening tomorrow and will let families know, through our normal communication processes, as soon as possible.
Original story:
After a morning in which several inches of snow fell and schools remained on schedule, Fairfax County offered an explanation for keeping its schools open.
Fairfax County Schools opened without delay on Tuesday, even as buses were stuck, cars spun out and many county roads were unplowed. #CLOSEFCPS was trending on Twitter.
FCPS posted this statement on its website at 10:20 a.m.:
We apologize for the difficulties the weather caused this morning.
Please know that significant area government entities were coordinating at a very early hour.
The decision was made with the best information we had very early this morning. Needless to say, the conditions were far worse than anticipated.
Weather conditions are expected to improve around midday. At this time, we are planning to dismiss schools at their normal dismissal time, however, we are continuing to closely monitor the situation and will keep parents apprised.
We are aware that people are asking us to cancel school. Students are safest at school when parents have not had a chance to make alternate plans for their child’s return home from school. However, should you wish to pick up your child early, we will accommodate you. Again we apologize for the difficulties experienced this morning and we thank you for your patience.
Photo: Sunrise Valley ES students try and get to school Tuesday/Credit: Christy Winters Scott
#CLOSEFCPS is trending locally and worldwide on Twitter.
Despite the forecast of snow, Fairfax County Public Schools did not close or have a delay on Tuesday morning. Snow fell all through rush hour — and was continuing to fall at 9 a.m. — as many frustrated parents and students complained about the decision.
Cars were spun out and stuck leading South Lakes Drive at Reston Parkway to be briefly closed. Motorists around Reston reported major delays.
Nearby, Montgomery County (Md.) Public Schools, a similarly sized system, was delayed and then closed. Loudoun County Public Schools were open.
Assistant Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools Jeffrey Platenberg told WTOP that the school system was surprised by the amount of snow that fell Tuesday morning.
Administrators were expecting a dusting, but were surprised when the snow came down heavy and traffic became a major issue, Platenberg said.
He says things were already in motion and changing the plan late in the game would have been a bigger inconvenience for parents who had already left the house.
“We apologize for any inconvenience, but the timing of this was the worst possible situation we could have imagined,” Platenberg said.
The school district sent out an alert that some buses may be delayed. The county also sent an alert warning of multiple accidents, significant delays and advising “please use extreme caution while driving and expect a lengthy delay in your commute.”
