Article Text

Fairfax County students will attend classes on Veterans Day during the 2026-2027 school year under a newly approved calendar aimed at giving families more consistent five-day school weeks.

The Fairfax County School Board approved the calendar 8-4 at its Thursday, April 9, meeting after a lengthy debate over student holidays and elementary school early-release days.

Board members considered removing both Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Veterans Day from the list of student holidays. Only the Veterans Day proposal passed. Both proposals called for Fairfax County Public Schools to develop lessons about the people honored by the observances.

Superintendent Michelle Reid said the current school year was originally scheduled to include 25 full five-day weeks, though special elections disrupted two of them. The 2026-2027 calendar includes 24 planned five-day weeks.

Mason District representative Ricardy Anderson argued that the change did not go far enough to provide consistency for students.

“We’re at a place where we’re just trying to salvage something for next year,” Anderson said. “This cannot be our best effort. Going from 23 weeks to 24 weeks of five full day instruction — it’s not enough.”

At-large representative Ryan McElveen acknowledged that the proposals were imperfect but said the board was taking available steps to address parents’ concerns.

“Tonight I think we are doing what we can with what we have,” McElveen said, calling the calendar “a bad solution to a bad problem.”

Indigenous Peoples’ Day remains a holiday

The proposal to hold classes on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which falls on Oct. 12, failed 4-7. Mount Vernon District representative Mateo Dunne abstained.

At-large representative Ilryong Moon said the board should pursue long-term policy changes instead of making isolated adjustments to a single calendar.

Sully District representative Seema Dixit favored keeping the school system’s holidays aligned with the federal calendar because Fairfax County has many local, state and federal government employees. Board Chair Sandy Anderson also warned that sporting events scheduled during the three-day weekend could contribute to high absenteeism.

The Veterans Day change received broader support. Several members noted that existing policy provides the day after Thanksgiving as a day off in place of Veterans Day.

The motion passed 8-1, with three abstentions. Dixit cast the only opposing vote, again citing her preference for alignment with the federal holiday schedule.

Elementary early-release days limited

The board also debated the number of early-release days for elementary students. All grade levels currently have four division-wide early dismissals, while elementary schools have eight additional early-release days.

Dunne said the schedule creates costly and complicated child-care problems, particularly for single parents and military families.

“This is costing [parents] thousands of dollars in child care, logistics are mind numbing and for single parents and those in the military the burdens are extraordinary,” he said.

The early dismissals are often used to give teachers time for planning or professional development. Hunter Mill District representative Melanie Meren said educators need that time but argued that FCPS should provide it without disrupting families and students.

Board members initially considered limiting the total number of early-release days to four. After extensive discussion, they instead voted to cap elementary schools at eight. The motion passed 5-1, with six abstentions.

Some members who abstained wanted more information before making a decision. Sandy Anderson described the matter as an operational issue and said the board should not make the change without sufficient details.

At-large representative Kyle McDaniel then moved to approve the full calendar. Some colleagues wanted to delay the vote until their next meeting so they could review a clean, updated version incorporating the changes.

McDaniel argued that families needed certainty without another two-week wait.

“The community has consternation and another two-week delay is more consternation,” he said.

After approving the 2026-2027 calendar, the board unanimously directed Reid to present recommended calendars for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 school years on July 9, following community feedback.