Fairfax County Public Schools students to return to in-person instruction in November

Fairfax County Public Schools will begin to bring back groups of students for in-person instruction in November, school officials announced Friday

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FCPS Superintendent Scott Braband said in a letter sent to the community that in-person cohort instruction for Early Head Start, PreK, and Kindergarten, Intensive Support Needs, and Specialized Center-based Programs - Special Ed (Group 5) will open on Monday, Nov. 16. 

Meanwhile, in-person cohort learning will begin for Grades 1-2, and Specialized Career Centers – Special Ed (Group 6) no later than Monday, Nov. 30.

READ MORE: Fairfax County Public Schools extends deadline for teachers to decide on returning to the classroom

"As new grades open, our plan is to employ concurrent instruction for in-person students, a model in which students receive two days of teacher-led instruction in the school building and two days of teacher-led instruction at home. We have concurrent instruction pilots underway in several of our schools and I will bring back to the School Board at their Nov. 12 meeting an update on this instructional method.  

This approach maximizes teacher-led instruction by allowing in-person students to “log into” class on at-home days," said Braband. 

READ MORE: Fairfax County school board votes to bring thousands of students, hundreds of staff back to school in October

Schools will contact parents and caregivers to reconfirm the choices they made in July in an effort to honor family choice in the student learning format, the letter states. 

"Based on your experience with virtual learning, you can choose to remain all-virtual or choose the concurrent model of two days in person and two days online.  If your circumstances have changed, we will try to accommodate your request based on staff and space availability. As we transition to in-person instruction, some students may experience a change in schedule or class assignment based on staffing availability," said Braband. 

Click here for more information on FCPS' reopening plan