Coronavirus, School Closures, and March 14 Office Hours


Dear Hunter Mill District Families and Residents,

 

Fairfax County Public Schools is now officially closed until April 10. Please read the Superintendent's most recent message for additional details. You can also review Governor Ralph Northam’s order closing all K-12 schools in the Commonwealth for a minimum of two weeks.

Also, my community office hours, scheduled for Saturday, March 14 at the Vienna Community Center, will now occur that day online via Facebook Live from 4-5pm. Please visit www.facebook.com/ElectMelanie to participate.

This is an unprecedented time in our lives. Life as we know it will be very different in the weeks ahead. We must try to manage our expectations of what is possible in all aspects of our lives - in what services will be provided, in what we can accomplish, in how people endure this new trial. There are still many issues in the midst of being addressed that require monitoring, especially student access to food, computers, internet, adult supervision, and solidifying distance learning capabilities. And yet, despite what may be our best planning, the situation may change rapidly and require us to make different decisions.  

Please know that the School Board and Superintendent with the FCPS Leadership Team have worked tirelessly to weigh information, available-data, public input, and the benefits and drawbacks of options we have before us to keep our students and staff safe. I’m very proud to serve with such thoughtful and dedicated elected officials and staff who care deeply about our community. We will continue to make informed and collective decisions to best serve you, and to keep you informed.

Everyone has a role in keeping themselves and our community healthy:

  • Follow protocols for personal health, including social distancing, frequent handwashing, and covering coughs and sneezes
  • Check on vulnerable people in your community to help where possible
  • Listen to trusted information sources
  • Remain calm and hopeful while being realistic – mental health practices are critical more than ever

FCPS is committed to providing additional information on food resources for families that rely on free and reduced priced school meals. The school division will provide emergency meals at no cost for students. Meals were served at five sites today, March 13, with plans to expand to additional schools next week. Breakfast will be available from 8-10:30am and lunch will be available from 10:30am-2:00pm Monday through Friday. FCPS is also coordinating with community partners to ensure the locations and timing of food centers and pantries are communicated to FCPS families.

There are still many untrue rumors circulating in the community about our schools and the coronavirus. We owe it to each other to stay informed and calm. Please visit the special FCPS Coronavirus Update Website, which includes frequently asked questions, fact sheets, videos, and other useful resources. And please remember that meeting the needs of a vast and diverse community is extremely difficult – unfortunately, solutions will not be perfect for everyone, though I deeply wish they could be.

When you have an opportunity, I hope you will thank our dedicated staff who have served us well on the frontlines in the fight to protect our school communities: teachers, instructional assistants, and administrators who have encouraged good hygiene, custodians who have kept our schools clean, cafeteria workers who have reinforced food safety, bus drivers who have disinfected their vehicles, and so many others.

I encourage you to forward this email to friends, family, and other members of the community who may find it informative.

Be well,

Melanie

 


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.

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