Karen Keys-Gamarra's Newsletter
Happy Spring Break! As we all adjust to Distance Learning, I hope that you and your family are healthy. Distance Learning begins on April 14th. Elementary School families should have received packets and instructions for next week. You also have the option of opting out of paper packets should you find this more beneficial. Click here to opt out.
The Board has continued its work to address your concerns. As the Audit Chair, I have met virtually with our Auditor General to work on those issues that can be addressed at this time. Most notably, we have continued to work on language to request an expert’s evaluation of our Special Education Services. The SPED Request For Proposal is near completion and will be discussed with the Audit Committee as soon as we are given authorization to hold a virtual Audit meeting.
Below is a message from our Auditor General:
- FCPS Office of Auditor General (OAG) reports to the School Board via the School Board Audit Committee. OAG promotes accountability and transparency through independent audits and reviews. Issued audit reports are available on the OAG Audit Reports webpage. OAG also conducts outreach to FCPS employees and community members through various mediums, including trainings and OAG’s periodical, Audit Buzz. Stay up-to-date on OAG’s work by subscribing to Audit Buzz via FCPS News You Choose. Additionally, OAG maintains an anonymous Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline. Suspected instances of waste, fraud, or abuse of FCPS assets and resources can be reported directly by calling the anonymous hotline at (571) 423-1333 and leaving a voicemail. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to Esther Ko, yko@fcps.edu, Auditor General.
Yesterday, the Board held a virtual Budget Meeting to discuss changes due to the COVID-19 crisis. If you were not able to watch, here’s the link: https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/451a4e2cac2b47fa8f5a3cae994559c2 .
This crisis has created economic challenges for our State and County and thus the School Board is re-evaluating our priorities to make sure that we maintain essential services and provide quality education for all of our students. This evaluation necessarily includes anticipating changes to our delivery methods to keep all of our students and staff safe.
Also, this is Domestic Violence month. As an Attorney, who has worked with countless families in our area, I know that Domestic Violence knows no racial, ethnic or economic boundaries. Additionally, incidents of domestic violence, family or child abuse tend to rise during periods of isolation. Please try to stay in contact with neighbors and friends. Here are a few possible resources: child abuse hotline 1-800-422-4453 Domestic Violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233.
We also have a number of resources for parents. Please find the latest information below. I continue to be proud of our community effort to work together on behalf of all of our children. Currently, we are serving about 17,000 meals per day for those families that need them. Our school buses deliver these meals to locations across the County during the school week. I also continue to hear about the heroic efforts of all of our workers: the janitors, the bus drivers, the food service workers, those who provide language and emotional well-being services, teachers, and support staff all play an integral part in servicing our nearly 190,000 students. THANK YOU, we cannot do this without you!
I also hope that you will join me and my colleague Dranesville School Board Member Elaine Tholen, for a virtual Town Hall on Thursday, April 16, 2020 from 7:30 - 9:00 PM.
All the Best,
Karen Keys-Gamarra
The information on how to join us is below:
Session dial-in: Call in anonymously. Attendees using this PIN appear as anonymous callers in the session.
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• Dial-in:
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+1-571-392-7650
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• PIN:
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7886693710
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Instruction
Kindergarten Immersion, Magnet School Lottery Registrations Extended
Kindergarten Immersion, Magnet School Lottery Registration
Fairfax County
Video: Fairfax County Health Department Nurse Discusses Cloth Face Coverings
https://fairfaxcountyemergency.wpcomstaging.com/2020/04/09/video-fairfax-county-health-department-nurse-discusses-cloth-face-coverings/
Media
An Unexpected Tool for Remote-Learning During Coronavirus
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/06/an-unexpected-tool-for-remote-learning-during-coronavirus.html
VDOE Q and A
Can the requirement for a verified credit be waived for a current senior who was planning to take an assessment this Spring for a course they had previously earned a standard credit for? The verified credit requirement is waived for seniors who were enrolled in Virginia public schools at the time of the school closure and who had previously earned a standard credit in a class but had not yet earned the required verified credit. These students do not have to be currently enrolled in the class for which a verified credit is needed to exercise this flexibility.
Are students who exited Virginia public schools prior to the 2019-2020 school year without a diploma and are returning solely to take an SOL end-of-course test for verified credit covered under the waivers for students in the 2019-2020 graduation cohort? No. Because these students were not enrolled in Virginia public schools in spring 2020, they are not eligible for a verified credit waiver or for flexibility provided by the Board of Education’s Emergency Guidelines: Locally-Awarded Verified Credits (LAVC), adopted on April 2, 2020.
For students enrolled in high school credit-bearing courses graduating in 2021 or after, can the verified credit requirement be waived? For students graduating in 2021 or after and who are currently enrolled in high school credit-bearing courses, the use of the emergency LAVC process would be permitted for courses they are enrolled in as of spring 2020. As noted in the emergency guidelines, the flexibility might be extended into summer 2020 classes but only if an emergency order continues.
RESOURCES
The FCPS Parent Resource Center continues to provide direct assistance to families, educators and community members
Parent Resource Center
Legal Services of Northern Virginia
Legal Services
Connect2Compete (Cox Communications)
https://www.cox.com/residential/internet/connect2compete.html
COVID-19 Wellness Resources
https://fairfaxcountyemergency.wpcomstaging.com/2020/04/08/covid-19-wellness-resources-for-you-and-your-family/
COVID 19 Web Links
FCPS www.fcps.edu
Fairfax County https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/covid19/
The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© 2020 Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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