Update from Hunter Mill District School Board Member Melanie Meren

Concluding this school year brings with it a whirlwind of emotions. While there is much to celebrate, there have also been incidents in our community and nation that should bring us great pause. 

I remain committed to working with other elected officials to provide safe learning and living environments for the children and adults. Here are some updates on these latest efforts:

  • Gun violence prevention:
    • FCPS has a plethora of information here, sadly, for student support resources regarding gun violence prevention as well as about FCPS’ safety practices
    • The School Board approved my motion to prioritize $15 million of the Fiscal Year 23 Budget to ensure all facilities have “security vestibules” – a needed strategy that you can read about here in this Fairfax Now article
    • At the June 16 public Regular Meeting, the Board adopted a guns-free school policy.
    • I am seeking opportunities to inform the community about what levels of government – local, state, federal – are responsible for gun violence prevention policy and laws. If this is something you’d like to be involved in, please contact me here
  • Traffic and pedestrian safety:
    • I continue to work with FCPS and Fairfax County staff, alongside community members, to improve transit safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles. While improvements have been made near several Hunter Mill District schools, please be sure that you prioritize driving responsibly.
  • Welcoming a new Superintendent:
    • The June 30 public Regular Meeting will include the Administration of the Oath of Office for FCPS’ incoming Superintendent, Dr. Michelle Reid. The public is welcome to attend, and details will be updated on Board Docs, here. Dr. Reid brings vision, enthusiasm, creativity, and curiosity to the implementation of excellent public education. I am thrilled to have this 2021 National Superintendent of the Year at the helm of our public schools beginning July 1!  
  • Investing in environmentally sustainable schools:
    • Providing a secure learning environment includes having spaces that mitigate climate change, and preparing students for workforce needs to implement climate change solutions. Through my collaborative efforts with Board Members and staff to identify funding, FCPS is doubling the number of staff in Fiscal Year 23, who work centrally to support environmental education and sustainable facilities! To be transparent, it’s going from two to four people – but it’s progress! This is one step in a multi-year approach to expand professional development, outdoor learning spaces, and content including STEM core academics so that ultimately, every student in FCPS experiences the research-proven success of environmental education on academic and emotional learning, in spaces that promote greater sustainability of resources.
    • FCPS is hiring a new Assistant Superintendent for Facilities and Transportation. This is an opportunity to further the community’s green goals. If you have suggestions for candidates, please inform me!

              Melanie Meren
               Hunter Mill District School Board Member
               Melanie.Meren@fcps.edu 

2019 VICTORY!

A huge thank you to all of our volunteers who called voters, canvassed voters, donated money and helped all our candidates up and down the ticket this election cycle! We would especially like to thank our Fighting4Fairfax organizer Henry Pratt, and campaign manager, Jeremy Cullimore.

We had a Democratic sweep in Hunter Mill and we congratulate all of our winning candidates below, including Hunter Mill members Sen. Janet Howell, Del. Ken Plum, Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, Hunter Mill Supervisor-Elect, Walter Alcorn, and Hunter Mill School Board Representative-Elect, Melanie Meren!

Finally, thank you to Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and to Hunter Mill School Board Representative Pat Hynes for their many years of service to Hunter Mill District, Fairfax County, and also for supporting the Hunter Mill Democrats.

Senate of Virginia

  • Jennifer Boysko, 33rd District
  • Barbara Favola, 31st District
  • Janet Howell, 32nd District
  • Chap Petersen, 34th District

Virginia House of Delegates

  • Mark Keam, 35th District
  • Kathleen Murphy, 34th District
  • Ken Plum, 36th District
  • Ibraheem Samirah, 86th District

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

  • Jeff McKay- Chairman
  • Walter Alcorn, Hunter Mill District Supervisor

Fairfax County School Board

  • Melanie Meren- Hunter Mill District Representative
  • Karen Keys-Gamarra- At-Large Member
  • Abrar Omeish- At-Large Member
  • Rachna Sizemore-Heizer- At-Large Member

Fairfax County Constitutional Officers

  • Steve Descano- Commonwealth’s Attorney
  • Stacey Kincaid- Sheriff

Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District

  • Monica Billger- Director
  • Chris Koerner- Director
  • Jerry Peters- Director

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

Defend Fairfax County Public Schools on May 24 and June 14

WE NEED YOUR HELP TOMORROW, THURSDAY MAY 24 AND THURSDAY, JUNE 14!

The Fairfax County School Board is considering changes to the Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum that will make it more LGBTQ-inclusive and help protect the health of ALL students. As a result, powerful anti-equality forces are mobilizing to stop this from happening. They will be showing up at the School Board meetings on Thursday, May 24 and Thursday, June 14. We can’t let them succeed!

DOWNLOAD THIS FLYER (PDF)

Help Register Voters at Viva Vienna!

Come join the Hunter Mill Democrats’ Voter Registration and Education team on Sunday May 27 or Monday May 28 at Viva Vienna! We will be working out of Del. Keam and Sen. Petersen’s booth, #92, which is located near Bard’s Alley on Church St. in the heart of Vienna.

You can find more details and sign up for a shift here!

Contact Christine Rohrer if you have any questions – christinefrohrer@gmail.com.