Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm burning all my masks today. LET'S GO!! My middle schoolers don't want to take them off for cosmetic reasons (they also want to see what their friends will do), but I'm so happy about this.

Cosmetic reasons?

I believe that, many kids this age are super conscious of their looks and don’t mind hiding behind a mask.

My 6th grader said that the teachers polled the students. Out of a group of 36 (two classes that they know about), there are 5 students and 1 teacher that would opt out of wearing masks. The rest don't find it onerous, and DD said that the kids are happy to hide behind their masks for as long as they can.

Or they are too scared to raise their hand.

+1 ridiculous that a teacher wasted time polling kids.

It was part of a larger writing assignment, involving the kids writing about a lot of "hot" topics. Kids were polled on everything from how they feel about Schoology and ST Math, to how they feel about going to middle school (I'm not sure who did the polling, the teachers or students; there are "anonymous" quotes on various topics, as well as named sources).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After watching what is unfolding in Ukraine, I don’t even care about masks anymore. A few more weeks of wearing them won’t make a difference in our life. There are way worse things that can happen to you. I’m not picking a fight with my school district, my kids will just keep their mask for a bit longer. Not going to lose sleep over it.

One has nothing to do with the other. Sacrificing by wearing a mask in solidarity with Ukrainians isn't helping anything. And the message today is that you don't have to "pick a fight" with your school district as the fight is now officially over.

+1 also I really don’t think the Ukrainians care about masking now either.

Woo! FCPS finally realizes they can’t fight the law! Way to go Youngkin and Chap Peterson! Parents finally have a say!

Anonymous wrote:After watching what is unfolding in Ukraine, I don’t even care about masks anymore. A few more weeks of wearing them won’t make a difference in our life. There are way worse things that can happen to you. I’m not picking a fight with my school district, my kids will just keep their mask for a bit longer. Not going to lose sleep over it.

One has nothing to do with the other. Sacrificing by wearing a mask in solidarity with Ukrainians isn't helping anything. And the message today is that you don't have to "pick a fight" with your school district as the fight is now officially over.

After watching what is unfolding in Ukraine, I don’t even care about masks anymore. A few more weeks of wearing them won’t make a difference in our life. There are way worse things that can happen to you. I’m not picking a fight with my school district, my kids will just keep their mask for a bit longer. Not going to lose sleep over it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS isn't even acknowledging March 1.

The various fcps newsletters, weekly email from school, SB newsletter, etc has said NOTHING about March 1. There are long wordy paragraphs about XYZ, but nothing about masks post Mar 1.

They're in denial of the inevitable.

It's their passive aggressive 'in denial' approach.

Scroll upthread. It's all there, clear, detailed, and surprisingly pretty sane.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS isn't even acknowledging March 1.

The various fcps newsletters, weekly email from school, SB newsletter, etc has said NOTHING about March 1. There are long wordy paragraphs about XYZ, but nothing about masks post Mar 1.

They're in denial of the inevitable.

It's their passive aggressive 'in denial' approach.

Anonymous wrote:Wait, FCPS ended contact tracing and test-to-stay except in an outbreak? I'm officially OVERWHELMED by the sanity.

Yeah I was surprised by that. I'm also happy that SACC is included in being mask-optional.

Anonymous wrote:They sent out that email a few weeks back when the County Health Department said they were stopping with contact tracing.

Definitely not. From the New You Choose that week, bolding theirs:

FCPS has and continues to implement CDC recommendations, to the greatest extent practicable, to prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools and to foster the continuation of in-person learning for students and staff. As a result, FCPS will continue contact tracing until further notice.

(https://www.fcps.edu/blog/fcps-week-e-newsletter-february-9-2022)

This is a big pivot, as big as the masking pivot in my mind, and as needed.

Great news!

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'm burning all my masks today. LET'S GO!! My middle schoolers don't want to take them off for cosmetic reasons (they also want to see what their friends will do), but I'm so happy about this.

Cosmetic reasons?

I believe that, many kids this age are super conscious of their looks and don’t mind hiding behind a mask.

Totally believe this. These kids have not shown their faces in two years. It's going to be a huge deal, and imagine this with our tweens where (for some) masks have hidden their braces or their acne!? I feel them.

Add that to seeing some of their friends faces only behind IG/TikTok/Snapchat/whatever filters, and yikes! Imagine thinking everyone is filter gorgeous...

You're over thinking this. The MS and HS kids have had their masks pulled down for awhile (and pull them up only when teachers call them out on it) and hey don't even wear masks for sports.

There's no great "reveal" and it's not this huge ordeal you're prohecting. Teens have been showing their face for awhile now It's NBD.

Not in my kid's MS.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm burning all my masks today. LET'S GO!! My middle schoolers don't want to take them off for cosmetic reasons (they also want to see what their friends will do), but I'm so happy about this.

Cosmetic reasons?

I believe that, many kids this age are super conscious of their looks and don’t mind hiding behind a mask.

My 6th grader said that the teachers polled the students. Out of a group of 36 (two classes that they know about), there are 5 students and 1 teacher that would opt out of wearing masks. The rest don't find it onerous, and DD said that the kids are happy to hide behind their masks for as long as they can.

Or they are too scared to raise their hand.

Potentially. My DS is in 4th and has come home reporting when so and so got their second vaccination shot. His class seems to be pretty openly discussing it, complete with kids whining about why they had to go to the Government Center when other kids only had to go to the Giant. No one has asked the kids opinions about masks at school so who knows what they are thinking. I do know that his entire basketball team is wearing masks during games. They play at a ES gym and the masks are not required but a note was sent home asking parents to have the kids wear mask because of COVID. At Scout meetings I have to remind a few kids to pull theirs up over their nose and they do and it stays up.

I doubt any of them like wearing masks but they don't seem to be put out to be wearing them. I'll be interested to hear what happens at his school on Monday, I suspect most of the kids will be wearing masks and that it will be a while before things change.

Wow. Bizarre. Which league is this? My kids have played in two different leagues using FCPS gyms this fall/winter and no kids are playing in masks.

They sent out that email a few weeks back when the County Health Department said they were stopping with contact tracing.

Wait, FCPS ended contact tracing and test-to-stay except in an outbreak? I'm officially OVERWHELMED by the sanity.

Just received the update from Brabrand. They make it clear that it is optional for students (except buses and field trips) and no formal requests to opt-out are required.

February 25, 2022

Dear FCPS Families,

This Tuesday, March 1, state legislation goes into effect that allows parents/guardians to elect for their children to not wear a mask in schools. As a school division, we continue to be concerned about the health of our Fairfax community and strongly recommend that all students continue to participate in universal masking for the protection of students and staff with health concerns.

As we work through this change, we will honor our value of a caring culture. We will respect each other and show compassion and kindness for those who have different needs and viewpoints. At the center of everything we do is the children we serve. It is their well-being that we must work to protect.

Please review the following information about upcoming changes.

To Elect For Your Child Not to Wear a Mask in School

Starting March 1, Parents and guardians may elect for their children not to wear a mask on school property. There will be no formal process required for those who elect for their child not to wear a mask on school property, including during School Age Child Care (SACC). Please talk with your child before March 1 so they will be aware of your family’s preference for mask wearing at school.

Exceptions

Universal mask wearing continues to apply in the following scenarios:

On school buses/vans (federal requirement)

During off-campus activities where masks are required by the venue (ex: field trip)

Students enrolled in Head Start Program (federal requirement)

When attending school on days 6-10 of a quarantine (families who do not want their student to wear a mask on these days will need to complete the full 10 day quarantine at home.)

When participating in Test to Stay

Respecting Student Choice and Need

Teachers and school staff will not treat students differently based on their choice. This includes seating arrangements in classrooms, cafeterias, or other gathering spaces. Please refer to the FCPS website for guidance around bullying behaviors as referenced in the SR&R. Families of special needs children who may need additional consideration for health reasons should work with their IEP or 504 teams.

Mask Requirement Continues for Adults

All adults, including staff, visitors, and volunteers must continue to wear a mask on school property. We will continue to follow our roll back plan, shared earlier this month, which will be implemented when we reach moderate transmission, and remain there for seven days. This week, we saw our community transmission level drop into the substantial category and we anticipate we could be at or very close to moderate community transmission as early as next week. FCPS will formally announce when we are ready to make this transition.

Contact Tracing

FCPS will support contact tracing in limited circumstances when identified by local health officials. Families will be notified if a positive case (student or staff) is reported in their child’s class.

Quarantine and Isolation

Schools will not direct students to pause or quarantine unless identified as a close contact during a school-based outbreak. Students will continue to complete a 10-day isolation period following a positive COVID diagnosis. Families are asked to follow CDC and Health Department guidance for quarantine and isolation.

Test to Stay

Test to stay allows students to remain in school as long as they test negative for the first five days following a close contact exposure. Currently, test to stay is, and will remain, available at seven pilot schools for all cases.

Beginning March 14, Test to Stay will also be available at every school in the event of an outbreak.

Families will be given information and will decide if they want to participate.

Testing occurs at home through a home self-test (BinaxNOW home test kits).

Students must wear a mask to school during the Test to Stay timeline in order to participate.

These changes are evidence that we are entering a new phase of the pandemic. We want all families to be confident that their children are learning in a safe, supportive environment. Our steps forward will be measured and guided by expert recommendations and local health data.

Up-to-date health and safety information can be found in the Health and Safety Guidance Document. We expect updated CDC guidance soon, possibly this afternoon. We will confer with our health experts about how any new guidance impacts our health and safety plans. Changes and updates will be communicated with you via email, newsletters, and our website.

Thank you for working with us to keep our students learning in-person, and continuing on their paths to success.

Scott S. Brabrand

Superintendent

Fairfax County Public Schools