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Fairfax County students and staff will attend school on Veterans Day beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, following a series of calendar decisions approved by the School Board on April 9.
The board directed the superintendent to make Veterans Day a standard instructional day for 2026-27 and all subsequent school years. The division must also develop a districtwide curriculum explaining the meaning of the holiday and involving community members in its observance.
A separate proposal involving Indigenous Peoples’ Day failed to win approval. That motion would have made the observance a standard instructional day and established curriculum focused on the history, sovereignty and past and present contributions of local Indigenous peoples, particularly First Americans.
The board also voted to limit elementary schools to no more than eight early-release days per academic year. It then approved the amended 2026-27 school calendar reflecting the outcomes of the calendar motions.
Looking further ahead, the superintendent was directed to present recommended calendars for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years at the board’s July 9, 2026, regular meeting. Development of those calendars must include broad community engagement, including in-person feedback and electronic surveys.
Policies and oversight
The board adopted revised policies covering lactation support programming, employee organization recognition and sexual harassment. The clerk was authorized to make technical, grammatical and formatting corrections.
Members also approved corrections to factual errors and typographical mistakes in the Strategic Governance Manual.
Superintendent Dr. Michelle C. Reid presented an annual monitoring report concerning asset protection, one of the board’s operational limits governing the superintendent’s management of the school division. The board found Reid in compliance, approved the 2025-26 report and later voted to retain the asset-protection policy in its current form.
The consent agenda included approval of minutes from the March 19 regular meeting and the March 24 public and closed meeting. The board also adopted policies concerning property acquisition, value engineering and maintenance of school facilities while retiring its petty-cash policy.
Recognitions and presentations
The meeting opened at 7:05 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance, a moment of silence and a performance of the national anthem by the Whitman Middle School Symphonic Orchestra under Elizabeth Fogel’s direction.
Chair Anderson welcomed City of Fairfax School Board member Sarah Kelsey. The board issued proclamations recognizing Arab American Heritage Month, School Librarian Appreciation Month and the Month of the Military Child. It also honored educators who earned or renewed National Board certification.
Six people addressed the board during community participation, and student representative Faith Mekonen delivered the student representative report.
Reid joined Multilingual Learner Services administrators Rich Polio, Dr. Darina Walsh and Karen Kleiber to present an update on English language development under the division’s strategic plan.
An Academic Matters presentation was postponed until the April 23 regular meeting because of the late hour. Reid’s superintendent remarks and the board’s own member matters were also skipped.
Future business
Several items were introduced without a vote and are scheduled for action at future meetings. They include a report on equitable access and opportunity, the 2026-27 special education annual plan and federal funding application, and contracts for construction testing and inspection services.
Other pending contracts concern installation of a makeup-air unit and replacement of baseball field lighting at Bryant High School. The board will also consider a resolution naming the field at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in honor of Vaughn Lewis.
Board member Meren delivered a Governance Committee report before the regular meeting adjourned at 12:18 p.m.