School Board Approves Virtual Start For Falls Church Schools
FALLS CHURCH, VA — The school board approved Superintendent Peter Noonan's recommendation for a virtual-only start to the school year for Falls Church City Public Schools. The recommendation went to the school board during a special meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
If approved by the school board, the school year begins with distance learning on Aug. 24. This approach will be in place for least nine weeks, but it will continue until officials believe conditions are safe.
Noonan said it was a difficult decision to recommend a virtual approach. FCCPS had been planning to implement a hybrid approach of in-person and virtual education, and families would have been able to opt out for virtual-only education.
This is the hardest decision I’ve had to make in my time @fccps. Our job is to educate kids not save the economy or provide daycare. Our staff and student safety must come first. There are too many unanswered questions about transmission and I won’t take the risk with human life. https://t.co/hN0jlpTb10
— Peter Noonan (@peternoonan) July 22, 2020
Noonan cited new guidance from the Fairfax County Health Department director that clusters of viral outbreaks would occur if schools reopen. Other reasons included delays of coronavirus test results, the rate of FCCPS employee illness over the summer, and responses to health check surveys during the summer daycare program.
According to Noonan, the virtual start to the school year will look different from the approach adopted after schools closed in March.
"The 2020-21 virtual format will be rich, structured, and robust, including new learning and graded," Noonan said in a letter to families. "It will be a well-articulated and coherent school program, with a well-defined schedule for every student."
More information on what the education models will look like by school level and more information on online instruction will be coming Friday in FCCPS "Road to Reopening" newsletter. Staff are preparing a frequently-asked-questions page and more information on education for different school levels. Questions can be directed to reopening@fccps.org.
FCCPS and other Northern Virginia school districts changed course after initially favoring a hybrid model for reopening schools. On Tuesday, the Fairfax County and Loudoun County school boards supported their superintendents' recommendations to start the year with distance education. Arlington County, along with the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, had already approved plans to begin the fall semester with 100-percent virtual instruction. Prince William County will provide distance learning for most students to begin. Alexandria City Public Schools has not made a reopening decision, but a survey of families found 60 percent support a hybrid model and 40 percent prefer virtual-only learning.
This article originally appeared on the Falls Church Patch
