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June 25th Meeting Recap: Responsible Instructional Technology Use, Celebrating our Diversity, and a New Chief of Schools
Dear Neighbors,
We had another busy meeting on Thursday (video | agenda), where we covered a range of items including welcoming a new Chief of Schools, the extension of the Superintendent’s contract through 2023, and highlighting our pyramid art shows.
The board also unanimously endorsed a Resolution which I brought forward on the use of technology in classrooms–centering the teacher-student relationship and calling for further work on screen time limits, device access, and digital literacy.
I was happy to support a number of Board proclamations, including Immigrant Heritage Month, LGBTQIA+ Month, and gun violence awareness. Proclamations like these help reinforce the Board's dedication to cultivating a culture in which all students and staff can be themselves while feeling seen and safe in their learning environment.
The Board also recognized a number of teams and clubs that took home the VHSL Class 6 State championships, including the Robinson Secondary School Girls Outdoor Track and Field team as well as the Robinson Girls Girls Crew team for winning the VASRA Division 2 points trophy championship.
You can read more about each below!
Yours In Service,
Tom Dannan
Braddock District Representative
 
At This Meeting
Resolution on Responsible Technology
 Since even before I was sworn in, the Board has had a number of meetings and discussions around AI and instructional technology policies, including most recently at work session (agenda|video) on Tuesday, June 23rd. As of yet, we haven’t been able to form consensus around a policy.
What I felt had been missing from this debate was agreement – in writing – on our shared principles and priorities. And so, earlier this month, I worked with a number of my colleagues to draft a resolution for responsible instructional technology that laid out areas of agreement, including:
- Affirming that education should remain a human-centered endeavor, and that technology should be used to support teaching and learning, not replace the essential relationship between students and educators
- Recognizing both the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies, including AI
- Support for the development of policies and regulations addressing screen time, device access by grade level, digital citizenship, family opt-out options, and accommodations for students who rely on technology as a support.
I’m grateful for my colleagues’ support in passing this unanimously, and I’m hopeful this can help provide us a foundation for future policy development. You can view my full remarks about the resolution here.
For those interested, I’ll be hosting an “Instructional Technology Town Hall” on Tuesday, July 7th at 7pm via Zoom, open to Braddock residents and educators. Please email jmiravite@fcps.edu to receive the invite.
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Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is proud to announce the appointment of Megan Vroman as the new chief of schools. Ms. Vroman, who currently serves as the assistant superintendent of Region 2, brings a wealth of experience, a strategic vision for student success, and a proven track record of instructional excellence to this critical executive leadership role.
Her professional journey spans from special education teacher to founding principal in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). During her tenure at DCPS, she was recognized with a district award for outstanding principal leadership and led her schools to measurable gains on state accountability measures, with one middle school earning the highest possible rating.
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In her time leading Region 2, Ms. Vroman has delivered measurable impacts, such as achieving the highest increase in eighth grade Algebra 1 access across all regions, and implementing a successful region-wide multilingual learner strategic plan that produced meaningful results. Under that plan, Region 2 students have led the division in English language acquisition growth, with multilingual learners exceeding district growth at both the elementary and secondary levels.
A hallmark of her leadership has been her commitment to developing other leaders. From mentoring individual administrators to leading the FCPS Aspiring Principals Academy, she has consistently invested in building the capacity of those around her, ensuring that strong, well-prepared school leaders are ready to serve students and communities across the division.
At the core of Ms. Vroman's career is a conviction that student success is achieved through both evidence-based practice and the power of strong relationships.
Board Proclamations
Immigrant Heritage Month
The Board proclaimed June 2026 as Immigrant Heritage Month, recognizing the generations of immigrants who have strengthened our nation, economy, and communities through their work, leadership, innovation, and cultural contributions. This proclamation also recognized World Refugee Day on June 20, honoring the courage of refugees and reaffirming the importance of welcoming and supporting those seeking safety, opportunity, and a better future.
I’m so grateful for all that immigrants do and have done within our school division and our community, and I was happy to support this proclamation.
Caribbean Heritage Month
National Caribbean American Heritage month began in June 2006 to uplift the rich culture and heritage of Caribbean American people. Caribbean individuals are some of the most ethnically diverse in the world with a fusion of Indigenous, African, European, and Asian Descent. The Board’s proclamation, which I was proud to second, celebrates the prolific diversity and all of the contributions Caribbean immigrants have made to our community and our nation.
LGBTQIA+ Pride Month
The Board proclaimed June 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, recognizing the history, resilience, and contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities.
June marks the anniversary of the first LGBTQIA+ Pride Parade, more than 50 years ago, which acted as a collective call to action one year after the 1969 Stonewall riots. Recent studies show that most LGBTQIA+ middle and high school students in Virginia say they have been bullied or verbally harassed over their sexual orientation and often hear intolerant remarks about transgender people in school.
The proclamation reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to fostering safe, inclusive, and welcoming schools where all students, families, and staff are respected, supported, and able to thrive free from discrimination, harassment, and violence.
Gun Violence Awareness/Wear Orange Day
The Board recognized June 2026 as Gun Violence Awareness Month, honoring the lives lost to gun violence, supporting survivors, and raising awareness about the importance of prevention and community safety.
June 5, 2026 was National Gun Violence Awareness Day (Wear Orange Day) which launched Gun Violence Awareness Month nationwide in an effort to honor the lives that have been lost due to gun violence, support survivors, and promote safer communities. Firearms remain the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States, and the recognition reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to providing safe and supportive learning environments and highlighted ongoing efforts by schools, families, community organizations, and public officials to help prevent gun violence and protect children and communities.
Mary Porter of Real Food for Kids
The Board made a proclamation honoring Ms. Mary Porter from Real Food for Kids. Ms.Porter has had more than 15 years of exceptional service to Real Food for Kids and has brought her experience across for-profit, non-profit, and educational environments.
She has served as the organizational heart of Real Food for Kids’ mission to advance healthy food access and nutrition education for the children of FCPS.
Ms. Porter has been the driving force behind programs that have shaped the culture of food and nutrition in FCPS, including the annual culinary challenge, which inspires students to discover the joy and creativity of cooking, while opening the dialogue between the Food and Nutrition services (FNS) department and students.
Ms. Porter has done a number of things to prioritize the health and nutrition of students in FCPS, especially those most vulnerable, through acts such as mobilizing resources for students who were dependent on school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, and championing the expansion of SNAP enrollment access among students and families.
Superintendent’s Evaluation and Contract Extension
The Board recently completed its annual evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid, and found her performance to be Highly Effective across the Virginia Board of Education’s eight superintendent performance standards: Strategic Leadership; Planning and Assessment; Instructional Leadership; Organizational Leadership and Resource Management; Communication and Community Relations; Culturally Responsive and Equitable Division Leadership; and Professionalism.
On Thursday, the Board voted unanimously to renew the Superintendent's employment contract, extending her service as Superintendent through June 30, 2030. I supported this extension for a number of reasons, including the fact that it enhances FCPS' administrative stability and allows us to continue progress towards our strategic plan goals.
In my short time on the Board, I have been impressed with Dr. Reid’s tireless efforts and professionalism – in public and behind the scenes – to serve our community. I am committed to working closely with her and her leadership team to continue to advance academic excellence, equity, and opportunity.
Academic Matters
The most recent Academic Matters touched on the FCPS Science and Engineering fair and how it is the largest state affiliated science fair to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). This year, there were approximately 650 students who participated at the Fairfax County fair, representing more than 400 projects.
Science Fairs pair perfectly with the FCPS K-12 Science curriculum, as it is entirely inquiry-based, and driven by each student’s interest. You can hear more about the benefits of science fairs in FCPS through the video below.
Strategic Plan
For this Strategic Plan update, we discussed the great ways in which the high school pyramid art shows help connect communities through showcasing art pieces from students of all grades within their pyramid. By celebrating art made throughout the year from students of all grade levels, it creates opportunities for younger students to see all that is possible once they reach high school, as well as allowing older students to look back and reflect on their artistic journey through the years.
Pyramid art shows bring a strong sense of community and collaboration while also recognizing how subjects like math, science, and history are applied everyday through the arts. You can see through the video below how our FCPS pyramid art shows showcase students in a very special way.
Upcoming School Board Meetings
Our next Regular Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 9 at 7:00pm at Luther Jackson Middle School and you can view the full agenda here when it is posted. These topics were among those introduced as New Business at the most recent meeting.
All meetings are broadcast live on Channel 99 (Verizon channel 11) and on the FCPS website. Recorded meetings are also posted on the FCPS YouTube channel. You can also visit the community participation webpage to sign up to speak at regular meetings or public hearings.
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.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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