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Fairfax County Public Schools students return Monday, Aug. 18, with changes affecting elementary early-release days, high school cellphone use, bus technology, grading, cafeteria menus and volunteering.
Elementary schools will continue scheduling three-hour early releases during the 2025-26 school year, but they will move from Mondays to Wednesdays. Among steering committee survey participants, 83% supported the switch, largely because many school holidays fall on Mondays.
High school students will face tighter restrictions on cellphones and other personal devices. Phones, earbuds, headsets and internet-connected devices must remain off and put away throughout the school day, except during lunch in designated areas. Students previously could use devices between classes.
The existing rules for elementary and middle school students remain unchanged, requiring devices to stay off and away from bell to bell. Cellphones also may no longer be used as instructional tools at any grade level.
FCPS will pilot a tablet-based bus safety and routing system featuring real-time navigation, student check-ins using radio-frequency identification and live tracking for families. The technology is intended to improve safety and transportation efficiency.
Secondary schools will introduce updated grading policies designed to make practices clearer and more consistent across middle and high schools.
New cafeteria choices will begin arriving in September. Planned breakfast additions include cinnamon apple overnight oats, breakfast quesadillas and breakfast tacos. New lunch selections include vegan chili, Spanish rice and Peruvian drumsticks.
Parents and caregivers will also see a redesigned login screen for applications such as Schoology, with other applications adopting it during the year. Existing FCPS usernames and passwords used for ParentVUE will not change.
A new system called Volunteer FCPS will allow students, families and community members to register and search for volunteer opportunities. New and returning volunteers must register, complete an orientation and sign in through a visitor kiosk. Background checks will be required for some volunteer levels.