Beyond the Bell pilot program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if the intent is to make ES start times earlier, why would they even have before care anymore? At my school, it would probably be for around an hour- not sure if that's worth even having, unless they open earlier than 7 am.

I think they will be moving ES start times to 8 and 8:30 and most people will only need after care.

Can't be done. They need two ES bus runs in the morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if the intent is to make ES start times earlier, why would they even have before care anymore? At my school, it would probably be for around an hour- not sure if that's worth even having, unless they open earlier than 7 am.

I think they will be moving ES start times to 8 and 8:30 and most people will only need after care.

Can't be done. They need two ES bus runs in the morning.

Based off all the scenarios presented except E(which def won’t happen), it has ES going earlier. Some will be 8, some 8:30, some 9ish. They are absolutely trying to add more spots to SACC because of this change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if the intent is to make ES start times earlier, why would they even have before care anymore? At my school, it would probably be for around an hour- not sure if that's worth even having, unless they open earlier than 7 am.

I think they will be moving ES start times to 8 and 8:30 and most people will only need after care.

Can't be done. They need two ES bus runs in the morning.

Based off all the scenarios presented except E(which def won’t happen), it has ES going earlier. Some will be 8, some 8:30, some 9ish. They are absolutely trying to add more spots to SACC because of this change.

Would LOVE this.

[Anonymous]

No all the mommies that already have it good are organizing on all the social media groups to try and convince against doing this.
It's a pilot program. Let's see how it goes. Let's see if it helps all those families that need to get their kids into sacc. Notice no proposals for improving the program, just go find all these Facebook posts where they are copying/pasting the same talking points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m laughing at people complaining about a 1 year wait. We waited four years. And pre Covid most parents had to whave to full days outside the home. We used licensed outside places close to home that sent a bus over to the school. I’d rather do that and keep the standards the same than make SACC a free for all. The bus ride was short and the kids always had other friends there who were waiting to get into SACC. It was probably cheaper than SACC too because SACC rates jumped up quite a bit a couple of years ago.

Good for you being able to laugh at other people's misfortune and struggles.
Many outside of SACC after care centers have higher ratios as well, so it would make SACC similar to those.
Truly feel that SACC should not be some exclusive, hard to get into program considering the difference in school hours and work hours, plus the reality of DC area commutes. Also, the cost is significantly lower than other options on the market, no matter how "expensive" you might think it is. Finally, we have to trust some other third party to get them to and from school, which we'd really prefer not to do ....we'd rather they be safe in school a d wr be able to pick them directly up from there after work.

Waiting a couple of years for aftercare at school is neither a misfortune nor a struggle. It’s the reality of living in a large school district in a metro area. So much entitlement from parents of the young elementary kids nowadays. You have no clue what it was like to work full time and raise little kids before the pandemic and working from home being much more common. We all made it work with the options available and didn’t whine about it. Your kids will not be safer at their school with higher ratios and less qualified providers. Have fun finding that out the hard way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean, the alternative is to significantly raise rates to cover more staffing. It's not reasonable to keep things the way they've always been. Workers are horrendously underpaid for a terrible split shift.

The whole reason SACC is so expensive for some families is because they are subsidizing the lower income families. I agree with doing this to some extent but if you look at the scale it’s not at all proportional to salaries. It’s not practical to raise the rates even higher for the families paying the most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if the intent is to make ES start times earlier, why would they even have before care anymore? At my school, it would probably be for around an hour- not sure if that's worth even having, unless they open earlier than 7 am.

I think they will be moving ES start times to 8 and 8:30 and most people will only need after care.

Can't be done. They need two ES bus runs in the morning.

Based off all the scenarios presented except E(which def won’t happen), it has ES going earlier. Some will be 8, some 8:30, some 9ish. They are absolutely trying to add more spots to SACC because of this change.

8/830/9 is what they have now.

[Anonymous]

This would be great, I like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m laughing at people complaining about a 1 year wait. We waited four years. And pre Covid most parents had to whave to full days outside the home. We used licensed outside places close to home that sent a bus over to the school. I’d rather do that and keep the standards the same than make SACC a free for all. The bus ride was short and the kids always had other friends there who were waiting to get into SACC. It was probably cheaper than SACC too because SACC rates jumped up quite a bit a couple of years ago.

Good for you being able to laugh at other people's misfortune and struggles.
Many outside of SACC after care centers have higher ratios as well, so it would make SACC similar to those.
Truly feel that SACC should not be some exclusive, hard to get into program considering the difference in school hours and work hours, plus the reality of DC area commutes. Also, the cost is significantly lower than other options on the market, no matter how "expensive" you might think it is. Finally, we have to trust some other third party to get them to and from school, which we'd really prefer not to do ....we'd rather they be safe in school a d wr be able to pick them directly up from there after work.

Waiting a couple of years for aftercare at school is neither a misfortune nor a struggle. It’s the reality of living in a large school district in a metro area. So much entitlement from parents of the young elementary kids nowadays. You have no clue what it was like to work full time and raise little kids before the pandemic and working from home being much more common. We all made it work with the options available and didn’t whine about it. Your kids will not be safer at their school with higher ratios and less qualified providers. Have fun finding that out the hard way.

I have zero ability to work from home and have to sit in an hour minimum of DC traffic to get my kid. That's why I would.prefer not having to choose a random martial arts studio and expect them to be responsible for bussing my child to and from school. I'd rather at least have them stay in the same building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, the alternative is to significantly raise rates to cover more staffing. It's not reasonable to keep things the way they've always been. Workers are horrendously underpaid for a terrible split shift.

The whole reason SACC is so expensive for some families is because they are subsidizing the lower income families. I agree with doing this to some extent but if you look at the scale it’s not at all proportional to salaries. It’s not practical to raise the rates even higher for the families paying the most.

SACC IS SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER than other outside of SACC options. This is one of the reasons so many people want it expanded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m laughing at people complaining about a 1 year wait. We waited four years. And pre Covid most parents had to whave to full days outside the home. We used licensed outside places close to home that sent a bus over to the school. I’d rather do that and keep the standards the same than make SACC a free for all. The bus ride was short and the kids always had other friends there who were waiting to get into SACC. It was probably cheaper than SACC too because SACC rates jumped up quite a bit a couple of years ago.

Good for you being able to laugh at other people's misfortune and struggles.
Many outside of SACC after care centers have higher ratios as well, so it would make SACC similar to those.
Truly feel that SACC should not be some exclusive, hard to get into program considering the difference in school hours and work hours, plus the reality of DC area commutes. Also, the cost is significantly lower than other options on the market, no matter how "expensive" you might think it is. Finally, we have to trust some other third party to get them to and from school, which we'd really prefer not to do ....we'd rather they be safe in school a d wr be able to pick them directly up from there after work.

Waiting a couple of years for aftercare at school is neither a misfortune nor a struggle. It’s the reality of living in a large school district in a metro area. So much entitlement from parents of the young elementary kids nowadays. You have no clue what it was like to work full time and raise little kids before the pandemic and working from home being much more common. We all made it work with the options available and didn’t whine about it. Your kids will not be safer at their school with higher ratios and less qualified providers. Have fun finding that out the hard way.

Um, where have you been living in the year of 2025 and return to office mandates? People are not working at home.

[Anonymous]

Dear Dr. Reid and Members of the FCPS School Board,

I am writing to express my serious concerns over the recent metal detector initiative implemented in our schools. The execution of this program has fallen short of expectations and, regrettably, effectively turned the district into a subject of mockery—particularly across social media platforms like TikTok.

This level of failure undermines the credibility of FCPS. Students deserve a safe and secure environment, and parents need assurance that leadership decisions serve their children's well-being—not fuel ridicule.

I urge you to:

Take full accountability for this botched rollout.

Launch a thorough review to identify where the planning, communication, or resources broke down.

Engage with stakeholders—including parents, students, and staff—to rebuild trust.

Present a clear corrective action plan, including a timeline for improvements or alternatives to the current strategy.

FCPS must demonstrate it can deliver effective, well-planned safety measures—not become a viral punchline. The integrity of our schools and the trust of our community demand nothing less.

[Anonymous]

Where do you get the eariler start times for elementary? The scenario I saw had our ES start later at like 9-30

[Anonymous]

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/DDVKKR522B0A/$file/Middle%20School%20Start%20Times%20-%20Next%20Steps%20Feb%2018%202025.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if the intent is to make ES start times earlier, why would they even have before care anymore? At my school, it would probably be for around an hour- not sure if that's worth even having, unless they open earlier than 7 am.

I think they will be moving ES start times to 8 and 8:30 and most people will only need after care.

Can't be done. They need two ES bus runs in the morning.

Based off all the scenarios presented except E(which def won’t happen), it has ES going earlier. Some will be 8, some 8:30, some 9ish. They are absolutely trying to add more spots to SACC because of this change.

Would LOVE this.

Yes, let's blow up the 20 people currently using before care so we can add 10 spots in aftercare... make it make sense..