By Jung Byun: Growing up in an inner-city public school district sparked my passion and curiosity for education. I learned that not everyone is guaranteed access to a high-quality education. I was one of the few lucky students who tested out of a high school with a graduation rate of 50% into one with a graduation rate of 99%. This…
By Melanie Meren: For the kids, families, and our furry friends we bring to outdoor spaces, it’s critical to remember that it’s the hard work of county officials that preserves our environment and connects us with nature. I want to take that success into all Fairfax County classrooms. Connecting students with their natural surroundings can inspire them to be the…
By Susan Laume: Two candidates vying for Democratic Party endorsement for Springfield District school board member faced off on Thurs. Feb. 28 for an hour-long debate before an audience of about 70. Laura Jane Cohen and Robert Walter, both education professionals with children in Fairfax County public schools, largely agreed on most topics, but differed on their choice of the…
By Diane Burkley Alejandro: Fairfax County is poised to improve its policy governing law enforcement in schools significantly, but the current draft fails to protect immigrant students, and must be changed. The matter is urgent because the policy on deployment of armed police School Resource Officers (SROs) to all public middle and high schools in the county is being considered…
By Matthew Dunne: The policy governing roles and responsibilities of armed police officers who patrol the hallways of every public middle and high school in Fairfax County is about to be improved, after a community panel submitted more than 50 pages of comments in a wide-ranging review. Although universal agreement was not reached, the policy review, the first in several…
By Kofi Annan: We have the opportunity in Fairfax County to change the role of police officers in public schools – to reduce the possibility of racial profiling and make policies more transparent and accountable to parents. The need for this is apparent. Children are being arrested in our schools for minor offenses that can be dealt with better by…
By Karen Kirk: The Fairfax County School Board Thursday night approved changes to the Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum that are more inclusive of LGBTQ students, thwarting opposition from a national right-wing media campaign. The proposed changes include using the term “sex assigned at birth” rather than “biological sex” and informing high school students about “pre-exposure prophylaxis” or “PrEP,” a…
By Dalia Palchik: As a first-generation immigrant, I know first-hand how hard it can be for a working family to access critical preventive care. And as a Fairfax County School Board member, I know the importance of affordable healthcare to a child’s development. That is why I am so encouraged by the recent vote of our Virginia General Assembly to…