Washington Post Urges Voting Democrat in 2019 as the Way to Send a Message on Guns

The Washington Post Editorial Board this weekend acknowledged what we already know: the only way to fight gun violence in Virginia is to vote for Democrats. The editorial lays out the stark difference between Virginia voters’ views on guns and their representation in Richmond. The article uses Del. Tim Hugo as the primary example among Republicans scrambling to hide their allegiance to the gun lobby over the strong views of their constituents. The whole country can see that Virginia is better than its gun laws, and it’s high time our legislature started reflecting the views of Virginians on this issue.

Activists Hold Vigil at NRA After Republican Short-Circuit of Legislative Session

After Republicans’ stunning inaction on gun violence during last week’s short-lived legislative session, Hunter Mill members and others joined the Alliance to End Gun Violence at a vigil in front of NRA Headquarters in memory of victims of gun violence.

The organization holds a vigil on the 14th of each month in front of the NRA headquarters in Fairfax. The vigil is held from 10:00am–1:00pm except for Sundays, when it is takes place from 2:00–3:00pm. Come join us each month and make sure that gun-violence victims don’t go unseen by the NRA.

 

Hunter Mill Democrats Endorse Melanie Meren for School Board

On Wednesday, May 8, Hunter Mill Democrats gathered at Lake Anne Elementary School and voted to endorse a candidate for the Hunter Mill District seat on the Fairfax County School Board. After the votes were cast and tallied, Hunter Mill Democrats voted to endorse Melanie Meren. The Fairfax County Democratic Committee is expected to ratify the Hunter Mill Democrats’ endorsement as well as other districts’ school board endorsements through a vote on Tuesday, May 21at at Lake Braddock Secondary School. Meren will appear on the November 5, 2019 General Election ballot in Hunter Mill District. Thank you to Andy Sigle for running in this race, and thank you to outgoing School Board Member Pat Hynes for your many years of service to Hunter Mill, and to our students and teachers across Fairfax County!

April 10 Hunter Mill School Board Candidate Forum

Please join your fellow Hunter Mill Democrats for our Democratic School Board candidate forum on April 10th at Lake Anne Elementary School. The forum will follow a short Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee Membership meeting and will start at approximately 8 PM.

Participants may submit their questions in advance at https://goo.gl/forms/fXU5gi6QvwBOoUN33.

It is asked that all questions are submitted by April 9th.

Our Schoolchildren Need Expanded Enviro Ed – Melanie Meren

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 environmentalists we need while also helping them achieve in school! Students are motivated to learn when they understand how what they’re learning matters to them.

What I’m proposing as a Democratic candidate for School Board from Hunter Mill District is to implement bold and proven Environmental Education (“Enviro Ed”) ideas that result in academic success and cultivate environmental stewards.

Read the rest at the Blue View

Sign-Up for Back to School Night

Summer is quickly coming to an end and Hunter Mill is gearing up for Back to School Nights at 21 schools from August 23 to September 26.  BTSN is a great opportunity for us to reach parents of school age children in our community to let them know about the November elections and the candidates.

Please consider signing up for one (or more) of our Back to School Nights through our Sign-up Genius link BTSN Hunter Mill 2018.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Christine Rohrer at christinefrohrer@gmail.com or 703.598.4918

New policy for police in Fairfax schools to focus on law enforcement, not discipline

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 years, led to significant improvements, including establishing a bright line between school discipline and law enforcement.

[Editor’s note: Some panel members believe the policy should strengthen protection for immigrant students – read story here]

The revised policy is set to be voted on by the Fairfax County School Board this coming Thursday, and will take effect with the start of the school year on Aug. 28.

The policy review grew out of concern that the existing agreement between the Fairfax Police Department and the school board had led to disparate treatment of minority children. In response, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova appointed an ad hoc committee of community representatives to provide input on the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the school system and the police.

Some parents and community members view armed police in schools, known as school resource officers (SROs),  as a necessary safeguard against the many dangers in our world. While violent crime remains at historic lows, gun violence, sex trafficking and gang activity continue to threaten the safety and security of our children in school.  From this perspective, SROs serve as the first line of defense.

Other parents and community members view SROs as the problem, not the solution. Dash cam, body cam, and cell phone videos have revealed a disturbing pattern of discrimination and violence against minority children across the country.

In Fairfax County, there are conflicting reports on SRO interactions with students. However, data compiled by ACLU People Power show that approximately two-thirds of those arrested by SROs are African-American or Hispanic, even though these groups together constitute only one-quarter of the county population.

Similarly, two-thirds of students receiving suspensions are African-American or Hispanic, even though these groups together constitute only one-third of the student population.

Led by Communities of Trust Committee Chair Shirley Ginwright, the SRO review committee engaged in a thorough review of the MOU, starting with its first meeting on July 2. The process was at times contentious because the stakes were high and the time was limited. The parties had to bridge serious differences of opinion and understanding on SRO activities within three weeks. The committee members submitted dozens of comments, which were compiled into a matrix exceeding 50 pages in length.

The draft reviewed at the final meeting on July 19 committed Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to “handle discipline within the school disciplinary process without involving SROs” and affirmed   “that school administrators and teachers are responsible for school discipline and that law enforcement is not to be involved with disciplinary action.”

Read the rest at The Blue View

Review group questions police role in Fairfax County schools

By Brad Swanson:

What should be the role of cops in schools? Should armed police officers even be allowed in schools?

These were among the issues that rose to the surface in a tense meeting Monday night of a community group charged with reviewing the terms under which police officers are assigned to high schools and middle schools throughout the county.

“Kids should not be consigned to hell because they made one mistake [in school],” argued Matthew Dunne, representing the Fairfax County Council of PTAs.  Dunne and 14 others are members of the School Resource Officer (SRO) Community Review Committee, appointed by Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova to review the draft of a new memorandum of understanding between the Fairfax County School Board and the Police Department governing  the cops-in-schools policy.

The meeting was attended by about 50 members of the public, some of whom waved signs and heckled speakers. Bulova, Police Chief Ed Roessler, and School Superintendent Dr. Scott Braband bore the brunt of criticism as committee members questioned key tenets of the program and called for more time to complete their review.

Bulova defended her decision to fix an accelerated timetable of only three meetings for the SRO committee, pointing out that the new agreement had to be finalized this summer so it could take effect with the start of school on Aug. 28.

But some committee members pushed for a top-to-bottom review, and even questioned whether Fairfax should station police officers in schools at all.

“There are school systems elsewhere that have safe environments without the presence of armed guards in the schools,” said Sookyung Oh, a committee member representing National Korean American Services & Education Consortium. But Commitee Chair Shirley Ginwright, representing the Communities of Trust Committee, said the program of placing police in schools is a reality, and the question before the committee is how to improve it.

Read the rest at The Blue View

School Board weighs changing sex ed to make it more LGBTQ inclusive

By Karen Kirk:

The Fairfax County School board heard spirited comments both for and against changing the public school sex education curriculum to make it more LGBTQ inclusive at its regular meeting Thursday, May 24.

The discussion was a precursor to the vote on June 14 on changing wording in the Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum. The proposed changes include using the term  “sex assigned at birth” rather than “biological sex” and informing high school students about a pill that was recently approved for adolescents to reduce the risk of HIV transmission.

Paul Wooldridge, who has two children who attended the Fairfax County Public Schools system, one of them transgender, spoke movingly of his son’s experience.  “Now FCPS has many teachers and administrators who recognize the rights and needs of transgender students. However my son’s experience showed that there are plenty of students and a few teachers that were not so understanding and accepting of the person he is.”

“He was teased and degraded in the halls by fellow students,” continued Wooldridge. “He was also intimidated by a few faculty members in apparent attempts to make him feel shame or lesser of a person. This unsolicited treatment was dished out in spite of my son’s attempts to proactively educate the faculty and fellow school students about the transgender issues and human rights.”

Read the rest at The Blue View