Contact FCPS School Board before Feb. 2nd about reopening in 2021

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

You clearly haven't read the govenor's new guidance. Based on that, as long as capacity allows and in-school transmission is low or moderate (I believe in January they rated it moderate), all cohorts up through 6 should still be in school no matter the community transmission levels:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2021/01/Interim-Guidance-to-K-12-School-Reopening.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

You clearly haven't read the govenor's new guidance. Based on that, as long as capacity allows and in-school transmission is low or moderate (I believe in January they rated it moderate), all cohorts up through 6 should still be in school no matter the community transmission levels:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2021/01/Interim-Guidance-to-K-12-School-Reopening.pdf

Right. And here's the thing: If the teachers' unions have their way, and the school board demands ZERO community transmission and total STUDENT vaccination, we'll never reopen schools. We should be urging the board to adopt something like the governor's plan, like the OP's letter does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

Numbers are dropping fast. I can't wait to see what the new 7-day average looks like after we get last weekend's anomaly out of the equation (contingent on what happens this weekend, of course). We've been at 500-700 for quite a while. This week:

M: 629
T: 313
W: 395
Th: 293
F: 262

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

You clearly haven't read the govenor's new guidance. Based on that, as long as capacity allows and in-school transmission is low or moderate (I believe in January they rated it moderate), all cohorts up through 6 should still be in school no matter the community transmission levels:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2021/01/Interim-Guidance-to-K-12-School-Reopening.pdf

Right. And here's the thing: If the teachers' unions have their way, and the school board demands ZERO community transmission and total STUDENT vaccination, we'll never reopen schools. We should be urging the board to adopt something like the governor's plan, like the OP's letter does.

I added some language to the OP's letter about adopting the plan from yesterday's meeting as a start (I don't actually like the plan, but if the principals approve and it's what we have, great), then went into what OP said. I also added something at the end about the fact that I'm encouraging the state senate to support Petersen's amendment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

You clearly haven't read the govenor's new guidance. Based on that, as long as capacity allows and in-school transmission is low or moderate (I believe in January they rated it moderate), all cohorts up through 6 should still be in school no matter the community transmission levels:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2021/01/Interim-Guidance-to-K-12-School-Reopening.pdf

Right. And here's the thing: If the teachers' unions have their way, and the school board demands ZERO community transmission and total STUDENT vaccination, we'll never reopen schools. We should be urging the board to adopt something like the governor's plan, like the OP's letter does.

The student vaccination is a complete non-starter because it's an impossibility. It's pure distraction by a certain group to continue kicking the can down the road. It's not a logically sound argument once teachers are vaccinated. Plus, I think the catastrophic educational damage is starting to weigh on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

You clearly haven't read the govenor's new guidance. Based on that, as long as capacity allows and in-school transmission is low or moderate (I believe in January they rated it moderate), all cohorts up through 6 should still be in school no matter the community transmission levels:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2021/01/Interim-Guidance-to-K-12-School-Reopening.pdf

Right. And here's the thing: If the teachers' unions have their way, and the school board demands ZERO community transmission and total STUDENT vaccination, we'll never reopen schools. We should be urging the board to adopt something like the governor's plan, like the OP's letter does.

The student vaccination is a complete non-starter because it's an impossibility. It's pure distraction by a certain group to continue kicking the can down the road. It's not a logically sound argument once teachers are vaccinated. Plus, I think the catastrophic educational damage is starting to weigh on them.

If you've listened to this SB, you know that they will still manage to spend hours considering things which are non-starters. The point is to tell them, "please don't even think about it, it's a non-starter."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

You clearly haven't read the govenor's new guidance. Based on that, as long as capacity allows and in-school transmission is low or moderate (I believe in January they rated it moderate), all cohorts up through 6 should still be in school no matter the community transmission levels:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2021/01/Interim-Guidance-to-K-12-School-Reopening.pdf

Right. And here's the thing: If the teachers' unions have their way, and the school board demands ZERO community transmission and total STUDENT vaccination, we'll never reopen schools. We should be urging the board to adopt something like the governor's plan, like the OP's letter does.

The student vaccination is a complete non-starter because it's an impossibility. It's pure distraction by a certain group to continue kicking the can down the road. It's not a logically sound argument once teachers are vaccinated. Plus, I think the catastrophic educational damage is starting to weigh on them.

So tell that to the school board. The OP's letter includes a note on this, urging the board to reject metrics like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

You clearly haven't read the govenor's new guidance. Based on that, as long as capacity allows and in-school transmission is low or moderate (I believe in January they rated it moderate), all cohorts up through 6 should still be in school no matter the community transmission levels:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2021/01/Interim-Guidance-to-K-12-School-Reopening.pdf

Right. And here's the thing: If the teachers' unions have their way, and the school board demands ZERO community transmission and total STUDENT vaccination, we'll never reopen schools. We should be urging the board to adopt something like the governor's plan, like the OP's letter does.

The student vaccination is a complete non-starter because it's an impossibility. It's pure distraction by a certain group to continue kicking the can down the road. It's not a logically sound argument once teachers are vaccinated. Plus, I think the catastrophic educational damage is starting to weigh on them.

So tell that to the school board. The OP's letter includes a note on this, urging the board to reject metrics like that.

Believe me, I do (every single time). I should amend my observation to say "yes, they'll have starter conversation around this", but it ultimately won't be implemented because it's absolutely impossible. We'll reach a point where teacher/adult vaccinations, teacher desire to get back into the classroom, WFH ending, new politics, and accumulating educational damage will open the doors. Will it be March? No evidence that the SB will pull its head out its butt that fast, but it will be by fall.

[Anonymous]

The school board is out of stall tactics. There is a new president. Governor has finally grown some balls and has weighed in on the matter. The teachers are getting vaccinated. The kids will be starting in-person concurrent classes next month. You are going to see some of the SB members “fight” to get them back—as if that was their stance all along.

🙄

#November2023

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

You clearly haven't read the govenor's new guidance. Based on that, as long as capacity allows and in-school transmission is low or moderate (I believe in January they rated it moderate), all cohorts up through 6 should still be in school no matter the community transmission levels:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2021/01/Interim-Guidance-to-K-12-School-Reopening.pdf

I’ve read it. If enough people get vaccinated and the mitigation measures work as well as they claim, these numbers should happen before going back. If the numbers don’t drop, they need to reconsider bringing people back into schools because obviously something isn’t working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've emailed my rep multiples times and have never gotten a response, but I'm happy to try again. Thanks to OP for putting this together.

Don't just email your Rep. Email the at-large members, Brabrand, and maybe your state delegate and senator too. No reason not to keep the pressure on all of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school board is out of stall tactics. There is a new president. Governor has finally grown some balls and has weighed in on the matter. The teachers are getting vaccinated. The kids will be starting in-person concurrent classes next month. You are going to see some of the SB members “fight” to get them back—as if that was their stance all along.

🙄

#November2023

I mean, McLaughlin and Sizemore-Heizer talked a good game throughout...

Though I think at this point it was all smoke. If they really meant it, they would've pushed harder to get something done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like many of you, I am concerned that public schools won't reopen in Fall 2021 despite teacher vaccinations. Feb. 2nd is the next meeting when the FCPS School Board will discuss the Return To School plan. Many parents have contacted Board members about reopening (thank you!), but we need to keep it up and get more parents to speak out. If you've already contacted the Board in the past, great - let's do it again before Feb. 2nd. If you haven't, now is a good time. We will only have an impact if enough parents speak up - so please encourage other concerned parents to do the same, and please post other organized efforts to contact the Board in the thread.

The FCPS School Board meets next on Tuesday, February 2nd, so messages should be sent before then. During the last meeting on January 5th, Superintendent Brabrand presented the Return To School plan to the Board, using recent research and health metrics to point out that schools can reopen safely. The School Board dismissed the plan and even said that students may need to be vaccinated before schools can reopen, which won’t happen for years!

To make it as easy as possible, below is a sample letter to School Board members. All you have to do is copy/paste the letter and email it to the members, as well as Superintendent Brabrand. Here is where you can contact each FCPS School Board Member (you can submit a question, or click on the member’s page to see their email address). Here is how to contact Brabrand. You can also sign up to speak or submit a video for the Board meeting, just like the teachers' union does, but spots fill up fast. And, even though we are all frustrated, please be respectful.

Here is the sample letter. Share it or send your own - but speak up before Feb. 2nd!


Dear FCPS School Board:

I write to strongly urge you to do everything possible to reopen schools with in-person teaching no later than Fall 2021, once teachers have been vaccinated. Although teachers have made an admirable effort with distance learning, our children are emotionally and mentally stressed, deprived of social contact, and not learning as well as they did during in-person school. This burden falls most heavily on children of color and children that are not from privileged backgrounds.

Pediatricians resoundingly agree that it’s important for student emotional and intellectual development that schools reopen as soon as possible:
- https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-pediatricians-say-schools-need-to-do-to-open-safely-under-covid-19

Keeping schools closed fails our most at-need students, and fails our community equity and academic goals. There is a great deal of evidence that distance learning is widening the achievement gap along racial and economic lines:
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/us/coronavirus-education-lost-learning.html
- https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/covid-19-and-student-learning-in-the-united-states-the-hurt-could-last-a-lifetime

Our own FCPS data show that students are failing at a much greater rate as a direct result of distance learning, especially among economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities:
- https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BVJV847F7247/$file/Q1%20Marks%20Rpt%20-%20v6%20lzh.pdf

At the same time, recent research shows that in-person schooling is safe, children are not a driver of coronavirus transmission, and schools are not a significant vector of community spread:
- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/health/coronavirus-schools-children.html
- https://www.npr.org/2020/10/21/925794511/were-the-risks-of-reopening-schools-exaggerated
- https://epicedpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/COVID-and-Schools-Dec2020.pdf
- https://www.radio.com/1063word/news/local/musc-study-suggests-children-safer-from-covid-19-in-school
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7268273/

While teacher vaccination is crucial, we strongly urge the School Board to reject other unrealistic and arbitrary reopening metrics that would harm student learning and emotional health by unnecessarily delaying in-person school. This includes requirements for “no community spread for 14 days” or vaccination for all students, which are impossible to meet even for seasonal flu. Instead, we support reopening FCPS based on the recent guidelines from the Virginia Dept. of Education, focusing on in-school metrics and mitigation strategies:
- https://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/health_medical/office/phase-guidance.shtml

We respectfully request that the School Board ensure all FCPS students have the option to attend in-person school with an in-person teacher for the 2021-2022 school year, because that is the environment that will best enable all children in our communities to thrive.

Thank you.

If covid is not under control, schools should NOT open. It's not hard to understand.

Go back to your cave you paranoid freak.

NP. If you don't have anything to say, beyond slinging insults, maybe it's you who doesn't belong here. Let the grown ups have the conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've emailed my rep multiples times and have never gotten a response, but I'm happy to try again. Thanks to OP for putting this together.

Don't just email your Rep. Email the at-large members, Brabrand, and maybe your state delegate and senator too. No reason not to keep the pressure on all of them.

Definitely email at the state level. Tell your senator to support Chap Petersen's budget amendment tying state-level school funding to offering an in-person option and also SB1303 requiring schools to offer an in-person option as well as a virtual option for those who need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you watch the SB meeting last night? The SB clearly loved the new plan to return in Feb. The only factor holding back a Jan return was teacher vaccinations, which will be completed by the end of Feb.

Well, that and the fact that Fairfax is at 13.2 today. It needs to be below 10% for seven days to get groups 3 and beyond back in person.

You clearly haven't read the govenor's new guidance. Based on that, as long as capacity allows and in-school transmission is low or moderate (I believe in January they rated it moderate), all cohorts up through 6 should still be in school no matter the community transmission levels:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/182/2021/01/Interim-Guidance-to-K-12-School-Reopening.pdf

Right. And here's the thing: If the teachers' unions have their way, and the school board demands ZERO community transmission and total STUDENT vaccination, we'll never reopen schools. We should be urging the board to adopt something like the governor's plan, like the OP's letter does.

Former teacher here.

Know this....... the teachers' unions are there to advocate for teachers - not students. They push for things good for teachers at the expense of students.
I was once a member of FEA because I bought into the "you need the insurance" sell (you don't need the insurance). After I witnessed them fighting for a very incompetent, abusive teacher to keep her job, I ended my membership.
Parents are the best advocates for their kids. Speak out! Be loud! And, pull your kids from public if they don't reopen. And, be sure to let the supt. know that is why you left.
There is NO student vaccine. None. Don't let them use this as an excuse to stay closed.