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Fairfax County Public Schools work session, Aug 18, 2026

3 h 37 min · 0 public speakers

AI in schools ▶ 1:04:42Reading and test scores ▶ 2:34:24

Click any moment below to jump the video to that second. Video length 3 h 37 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

School board reviews county model for middle school after-school fee, digital literacy lessons 8:55

  • The board approved a closed-meeting certification and confirmed the chair's approval of a remote participation request. 0:01
  • District staff presented a county Neighborhood and Community Services model that would charge $300 per program participant to generate approximately $1 million for the middle school after-school program. 8:55
  • Staff then presented a digital literacy curriculum calling for 4 required grade-level lessons, one per quarter, and said it would not require additional student screen time or device use. 1:05:37
  • A speaker said 83% of committee members who submitted feedback favored expanding the exceptions to allow use of Lexia during the intervention block, and that the committee recommendation was amended to be more in alignment with what the board adopted in June. 3:06:18
Item by item (7)
  1. Closed meeting certification 0:01
    • The chair called for a motion certifying that only lawfully exempted public business was discussed in the closed meeting held on August 18th, 2026. 0:01
    • The motion carried. ~0:01
  2. Middle school after-school program fees 1:40
    • A staff member said the information was not the office's proposal but work done at the direction of the County Board of Supervisors, and that nearly 80% of middle school students take part in the program each year. 3:56
    • The staff member said the program cost just over $11 million and that the county model's $300 fee assumed reduced attendance and that about 35% of students would qualify for a fee waiver. 8:55
    • One speaker suggested trying a pay-what-you-can model this year, run through the foundation, and a second speaker said they absolutely would not have a mandatory fee but were amenable to a pay-what-you-can approach. 39:51
  3. Digital literacy curriculum presentation 1:00:51
    • A staff member said the curriculum covers digital citizenship, information literacy, media literacy and AI literacy and would be taught through discussion, hands-on activities and printed materials. 1:04:42
    • The staff member said lessons would be centrally developed and scripted, principals would certify they were taught, and teachers would be trained at the in-service day. 1:04:42
  4. Remote participation request 1:21:06
    • The chair approved a board member's request to participate remotely and asked members physically present to confirm it. 1:21:06
    • The motion passed. ~1:21:30
  5. Digital literacy board discussion 1:22:02
    • A staff member said the initiative has no financial cost because the lessons, guidance and training were developed in-house. 1:29:30
    • A staff member said the goal was to post lesson materials before the start of the school year but could not promise it, citing federal web accessibility requirements. 1:36:04
    • A staff member said no parent opt-out process had been developed, and a staff member later said an opt-out would be a reasonable topic for the Educational Technology Review Committee. 2:14:21
  6. Kindergarten devices and reading intervention 2:19:30
    • A staff member said serving students' reading plans without Lexia would require at least 20 additional FTE, which was not in the budget. 2:37:33
    • A staff member said the item could be placed on new business for the first meeting in September. 2:56:14
    • A staff member said 83% of committee members who submitted feedback favored expanding exceptions to allow Lexia during the intervention block, and that the recommendation was then amended to align with the board's June action. 3:06:18
  7. AI guidance and student technology access 3:29:37
    • A speaker said the academic integrity policy is referenced in the SR&R and that the guidance is written in a staff handbook and a student handbook, which would be published. 3:30:03
    • A board member raised concerns about unofficial social media accounts and students being unable to send email outside the school division. 3:30:32
    • The meeting adjourned at 4:13. 3:36:52

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Who spoke

Who spoke

We can’t yet tell who is speaking at this board’s meetings.

Video: posted by the district as “8/18/2026 - FCPS School Board Work Session”