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Fairfax County Public Schools is developing its fiscal year 2027 budget as the division prepares to explain how funding levels affect teachers, academics and student programs.
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid is scheduled to present the proposed budget to the School Board in January. In the months ahead, FCPS plans to outline the effects of chronic underfunding, the broader benefits of school funding and ways Fairfax County residents can support students, educators and schools.
Families Urged to Prepare for Winter Weather
FCPS is reminding families to prepare for possible weather-related schedule changes. The division’s website is generally the first place closure information appears, followed as quickly as possible by email, text messages, social media and news outlets.
Families should update their contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website and arrange emergency child care when necessary.
Principals will monitor low temperatures, wind chill alerts and other advisories before allowing outdoor activities. Children should arrive with warm coats and suitable cold-weather clothing.
Families needing help obtaining winter clothing or addressing food, housing, employment, financial or health needs may contact Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning at 703-222-0880. Multilingual assistance is available.
Free Community Dinners Planned Before Thanksgiving
The FCPS Office of Food and Nutrition Services will serve free Thanksgiving-inspired dinners to students, families and other community members.
Meals will be available from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, November 24, at Herndon and Justice high schools. Additional dinners will be served during the same hours Tuesday, November 25, at Annandale and Mount Vernon high schools.
Food will be distributed to children and adults on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration and an FCPS connection are not required.
Oakton Wins First Girls Flag Football Championship
Oakton High School won the first FCPS girls flag football championship. The sport’s inaugural divisionwide program included 775 athletes.
The achievement followed another fall sports celebration involving sisters Anne and Hannah Przydzial of Frost Middle School at the Fairfax County cross country championship.
Volunteer Rules Change Amid Heavy Interest
The new Volunteer FCPS system allows community members to find and register for opportunities across the school division. Volunteers must create a profile, register through the system and use the visitor kiosk to sign in and out during every school visit.
FCPS has temporarily paused fingerprinting requirements for most Level 3 volunteers because of strong community response. People who have already submitted fingerprints will continue to be processed for eligibility across all Level 3 opportunities.
Field trip chaperones are now classified as Level 2 volunteers and will not require the comprehensive background check that includes fingerprinting.
All new volunteers must sign a legal certification stating they have no history of violent felonies, physical or sexual crimes against children, or crimes involving moral turpitude. Volunteer orientation is available through the program’s website.
Parents Asked to Renew Consent for Google Tools
Changes to Google’s management of educational applications are moving many tools from the Chrome Web Store to the Google Play Store.
FCPS has updated its Parent Digital Consent system to cover both platforms. Families should review and provide permission for “Additional Google Services — Chrome Web Store” and “Additional Google Services — Google Play Store” so students can continue using approved instructional tools.
Families needing assistance may consult FCPS technology resources or contact the technical support desk.
Device Controls Available Outside School Hours
The Lightspeed Parent Portal lets families manage access to YouTube and pause web browsing on student FCPS devices at home.
The controls operate after school from 3:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, including student holidays, and throughout Saturday and Sunday.
Parents who have not enrolled can use the link included at the bottom of their weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report email.
SEL Reports Arrive in ParentVUE
Students in grades 3 through 12 completed the Social and Emotional Learning Screener in October. It measures areas including goal achievement, emotional management, relationships and responsible decision-making. Students also report whether they feel valued, included and supported at school.
Individual reports are scheduled to appear in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE during the week of November 20. Schools will provide printed copies to families without active ParentVUE accounts.
Families may contact their school-based mental health team for help interpreting the findings or supporting students at home.
ParentVUE also displays intervention plans and progress under the Multi-Tiered System of Supports used by all FCPS schools. The system combines general instruction with additional time, assistance and interventions based on student needs. Progress is expected to be updated quarterly.
Special Education Conference Set for March
The 2026 Special Education Family Conference will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at Marshall High School.
The free, in-person event is open to families, educators and community members seeking information about special education services, resources and support. A call for proposals will open after Thanksgiving break, followed by event registration after winter break.
New Western High School Gets Traditional Boundaries
The School Board approved plans to operate the new western high school as a comprehensive school with traditional attendance boundaries and a special-programming pathway.
The school is expected to open during the 2026-27 academic year for ninth- and 10th-grade students who choose to enroll.
Bush Hill Earns National Special Olympics Recognition
Bush Hill Elementary School was named to the 2025 ESPN Honor Roll for its inclusive Unified Special Olympics programming.
The recognition comes as Bush Hill receives its second designation as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School.
Fairfax Villa Students Spread Kindness
Students in Fairfax Villa Elementary School’s Peer Buddies program painted “kindness rocks” and created encouraging notes for World Kindness Day, observed November 13.
The rocks will be placed around the school grounds as reminders of warmth and compassion. The project supports the FCPS strategic goal of ensuring students feel safe, supported, included and empowered.
Family Partnership Advocate Honored
FCPS is recognizing Amal Ibrahim Elsayed, the Family Resource Center liaison at the Dunn Loring Center, during Family Engagement Month.
Elsayed’s work focuses on strengthening relationships between schools and families, reflecting the important role families play as children’s first and most influential teachers.
Boundary Committee Continues Its Review. The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee met Wednesday, November 12, as part of the comprehensive review of school boundaries.
Meeting materials, an agenda and Reid’s recap have been made available to the public. Families can also subscribe to the School Boundary Review newsletter for future updates.
Division Expands Inclusive Teaching Practices. Reid recently presented information to the School Board about Universal Design for Learning and other inclusive practices connected to the 2023-30 FCPS Strategic Plan.
Universal Design for Learning helps educators reduce barriers and adjust instruction for students with different needs. Related inclusive practices seek to keep students of varying backgrounds and abilities learning together while ensuring each student feels supported.
Educate Fairfax Launches Year-End Campaign. Educate Fairfax invested $1.27 million last year in student opportunities, staff support and alumni and community engagement.
Its grants reached more than 36,000 students at 100 schools. This fall, the foundation received a record 258 applications from 136 schools but expects to fund only about half.
The organization also works with FCPS Food and Nutrition Services to provide meals during extended school breaks for families facing food insecurity.
Its year-end “25 for 2025 Giving Challenge” is seeking donations ranging from $25 to $25,000 to support student programs and other initiatives.
Thanksgiving Closures and Schedule Changes. FCPS schools and offices will be closed from Wednesday, November 26, through Friday, November 28, for Thanksgiving.
The weekly FCPS newsletter will not be distributed November 26.
Adult Education Offers Holiday Discount. FCPS Adult and Community Education will offer 20% off hundreds of classes from 6 p.m. Thursday, November 27, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, November 30.
The promotion covers adult learning, SAT preparation and teen driver education, including behind-the-wheel classes. Customers may register for multiple courses or purchase classes for others.
The discount cannot be combined with other offers and does not apply to gift cards.