Fairfax County Opts To Close Schools Through April 10

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia's largest school district, decided to close schools through April 10 after concerns about the new coronavirus, also known as the COVID-19 virus. The announcement came after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam directed K-12 schools to close for at least two weeks starting March 16.

"The Virginia Department of Education has recommended that all public school systems provide continuity of learning programming for the next three weeks," reads the latest message from Superintendent Scott Brabrand. "We will promote digital and online resources to FCPS students that will help student learning continue. This work will not be required nor graded."

The School Age Child Care Program (SACC) will be closed for the weeks of March 16 and March 23. An additional week of spring break services will be offered at consolidated sites the week of April 6. The system for registration for the weeks of March 30 and April 6 will be communicated to families in the SACC program.

Meals will be available at five sites, and there are plans to expand to additional locations next week. Breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Meals are free for students, while adult lunches are available for $2.

The locations are as follows:

• Bailey’s Elementary School, 6111 Knollwood Drive, Falls Church
• Hutchison Elementary School, 13209 Parcher Avenue, Herndon
• Hybla Valley Elementary School, 3415 Lockheed Boulevard, Alexandria
• London Towne Elementary School, 6100 Stone Road, Centreville
• Burke School, 9645 Burke Lake Road, Burke

While students do not have school on Monday, March 16, the staff development day is postponed with school offices and central offices open. Schools will be open Monday, March 16, for students and staff to access their belongings and for students in grades 3 to 8 to receive laptops or devices if they do not have access at home.

Students and certain staff members got the day off on Friday, March 13. Fairfax County schools announced earlier in the week that Monday would be a day for the school system to prepare for the possibility of a school closure related to a new coronavirus outbreak.

Fairfax County school staff members and parents had expressed concern Thursday night about the school system's decision to remain open. On the one hand, the county government was advising residents to practice social distancing, avoid large gatherings of people and use digital methods to conduct business with the county when possible. On the other hand, the county was telling the public that it was safe for thousands of students, teachers and staff members to continue gathering at county schools.

"During the past several hours we continue to hear genuine concerns from parents about keeping our schools open while the coronavirus response escalates around the country," Brabrand said in a statement released around midnight. "Schools are closing in Maryland and several other states and a state of emergency was declared in Virginia. As a result, and in an abundance of caution, I believe it is prudent for FCPS to cancel school tomorrow to help ease parent, staff, and student anxiety."

The extended closure is a change of direction from the county coronavirus briefing Thursday, where Brabrand said county schools would be monitoring the status of the coronavirus but did not have immediate plans to close schools aside from the previously announced closure on Monday.

“The information as we have consulted our local medical authorities is that we do not have community spread here in the Northern Virginia area," Brabrand said at the 5 p.m. press briefing.

Community spread refers to instances when health officials do not know where or how people contracted the coronavirus. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday banned all public gatherings of 250 people or more after officials announced the first known case of a patient being infected with coronavirus through community spread. A Prince George’s County man in his 60s who tested positive for COVID-19 had no known international travel or contacts with other infected people, officials said Thursday. The man is currently hospitalized.

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