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Fairfax County Public Schools is preparing to enroll employees, volunteers and independent contractors in a continuous background-check monitoring system while summer classes, boundary-review work and student programs continue across the county.

The system, known as Rap Back, alerts participating organizations to certain changes in an enrolled person’s criminal-history record. Virginia legislation taking effect in July authorizes public schools to enroll workers, volunteers and contractors. FCPS plans to complete enrollment over the next year and is helping lay the groundwork for use by other Virginia school divisions.

The effort could eventually support protections for nearly 1.3 million K-12 students statewide.

The July 14 update also recognized Kara Payne, an office assistant at Katherine Johnson Middle School, as one of three recipients of this year’s A. Heath Onthank Award. Established by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the award honors work that advances and improves public service in county government and schools. Payne was formally recognized at a late-June supervisors meeting alongside the other recipients.

FCPS student-athletes also finished the year with a sizable collection of state honors. Five teams and 17 individuals won Virginia High School League Class 6 championships, while five teams and 20 individuals were runners-up. FCPS competitors earned additional championships in crew and rifle, which are not governed by the VHSL.

Boundary review and regional partnerships continue

The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee met in late June to examine feedback from eight hybrid community meetings held during the spring, along with comments received through other platforms. Committee members discussed what they had heard from their communities and identified priorities for additional work by the division’s consultant.

The survey and commenting feature in the Boundary Explorer Tool was scheduled to close at 5 p.m. Friday, July 18.

Superintendent Michelle Reid also participated in the AASA Summer Consortium, where school-system leaders discussed collaboration and new approaches to learning.

Meanwhile, ITServe Alliance contributed $30,000 to Educate Fairfax. Of that donation, $26,000 will fund 13 college scholarships and $4,000 will support school-based STEM grants.

Reid attended the Northern Virginia Technology Council’s annual member meeting to discuss connections between education and the region’s technology industry. She also visited Nonye Oladimeiji’s Twice-Exceptional Academy class at the Willow Oaks Administrative Center, where staff were participating in summer professional development.

Students demonstrate growth through presentations

FCPS is continuing its Portrait of a Graduate initiative, which centers on five attributes: communicator; collaborator; ethical and global citizen; creative and critical thinker; and goal-directed and resilient individual.

Portrait of a Graduate Presentations of Learning allow students to demonstrate progress toward grade-level expectations in multiple ways. Formats can include an individual or small-group conversation, an exhibition resembling a science fair, or a formal student-led presentation followed by questions.

The initiative supports the school division’s 2023-30 Strategic Plan goals covering academic growth and excellence and preparation for future innovation.

Summer academic programs began with Extended School Year in late June. SOAR, Algebra Power Up and Credit Recovery followed on July 7. FCPS is also providing free breakfast and lunch at designated schools for children younger than 18 during the summer.

English-learner progress rises for a second year

The percentage of FCPS multilingual learners meeting annual progress expectations on the WIDA ACCESS assessment increased for the second consecutive year.

WIDA ACCESS measures reading, writing, listening and speaking. A student’s progress is determined by comparing scores from two successive years, as required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

In 2023, 12,852 of the 26,616 students counted met the progress benchmark, or 48.3%. That rose in 2024 to 15,279 of 27,534 students, or 55.5%. In 2025, 15,608 of 27,320 students met the benchmark, bringing the rate to 57.1%.

FCPS highlighted English-language development instruction at Timber Lane Elementary School as an example of its work to help multilingual learners reach proficiency and succeed across academic subjects.

The division also reported that more than 14,000 students received diplomas this year. Its strategic-plan presentation emphasized relationships, personalized support and a sense of belonging as factors helping students graduate with skills and plans for their futures.

Leadership series begins for operations staff

The Office of the Chief Operating Officer opened its four-part 2025-26 Leadership Journey with a session titled “Understanding Your Leadership Style.”

Participants completed a personality assessment modeled on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to examine their leadership tendencies, communication preferences and possible blind spots. Each participant selected an insight about their style and committed to trying a new leadership strategy before the next session.

The series is intended to strengthen empathy, inclusion, communication, collaboration and adaptability across operational teams.

Nearly 1,100 students attend two summer sites

At Graham Road Elementary School, nearly 300 students from six Title I schools are participating in the school’s first summer pyramid-site model. Summer Principal Nicole Scesney, Site Director Jessica Nelson and educational specialist Melissa Chang greeted Reid during her visit.

Students in Sarah Heier’s and Allyson Norris’ rising second-grade classrooms worked on reading, while Madison Harpham’s preschool autism class studied weather and the calendar. Chelsea Andrade’s rising first-graders wrote sensory poems, and Brooke O’Donnell’s rising fourth-graders developed storyboards for project-based learning.

In Meredith Jessen’s rising fifth- and sixth-grade class, students practiced multiplication. Multilingual learners in Erin Donovan’s rising sixth- and seventh-grade Explorers Program studied states of matter and made slime.

Reid then visited Annandale High School, where nearly 800 students are enrolled in Credit Recovery and Credit Continuation courses. The offerings include English, science, math, social studies, health and physical education. Summer Principal Raine Bradley leads the site, with Angela Linker, Stacey Kiggins and Michael Gillespie also joining the visit. Reid observed geometry classes taught by Ahmed Gahein and Nadia Akram.

Annandale is piloting the Summer Credit Continuation program under school-based technology specialist Jen Cory and Assistant Principal Jae Lee. The initiative lets students extend work completed during the regular school year and apply it toward summer credit.

Students in the pilot had earned 151 credits toward graduation as of the visit, while 131 students remained actively engaged in completing their goals.

Countywide Puzzle Hunt draws more than 3,000 people

The Safe Routes to School team is supporting an annual Puzzle Hunt running through Aug. 15 in parks across Fairfax County. More than 3,000 community members had participated, with about 20 completing the entire challenge.

The program was created by a California parent named Marcy and a school principal named Hillary. Their collaboration began in 2020 as an effort to help children rediscover enjoyment in learning and later developed into Solving Fun, an initiative promoting curiosity and creativity.

Safe Routes to School staff helped install signs and place clues throughout county parks. The activity is designed to bring families, students and neighbors together through problem-solving and exploration.