Dear FCCPS Staff and Families,

This year is going by quickly with lots of activities, performances, games, and competitions. This week we celebrated the Hundredth Day of School on Valentine’s Day and in-person STEAM Night at Oak Street - three major milestones! Spring and more daylight are around the corner regardless of what the groundhog predicted. Some students (and staff) have expressed dismay at the lack of snow. As a Superintendent not having to make that decision has honestly been a relief!

FCCPS Tools to Address Substance Abuse

This is a serious topic that is on all of our minds: the impact of substance abuse, particularly opioids, on our community. Each week the news includes stories of overdoses on school campuses attributed to opioid use. This epidemic has reached the level of a public health emergency, which has been escalated by the availability of Fentanyl, a synthetic opiate that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. It is cheaper, easier to get, and much more deadly than other opioids. This drug is often found “laced” into other drugs, including marijuana and prescription pills sold by dealers. An amount as small as the tip of a pencil can cause a deadly overdose.

While FCCPS has not had an overdose on our campuses, there have been incidents in our community. Thankfully, emergency responders arrived in time, and there was no loss of life. The reality for educators and parents is that drugs exist in our community; students are exposed to them; and some will take them. To combat this, everyone must work together - including parents, schools, law enforcement, public health officials and students. In FCCPS the focus is on prevention, education, and intervention. Examples of our efforts are listed below:

Teaching the Virginia Standards of Learning for Health & Wellness that address substance abuse, including the dangers of opioids.
Implementing Board policies that address substance abuse.
- 9.55P - Student Wellness
- CLA - REPORTING ACTS OF VIOLENCE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
- 9.36P - Substance Abuse: Prevention and Sanctions Policy
- 9.36R - Substance Abuse: Prevention and Sanctions Regulation
- 9.57P - Search and Seizure
- 8.26P - Substance Abuse Violations
Providing access to mental health support in our schools from School Counselors, School Social Workers, and School Psychologists.
Educating students on the dangers of opioids, specifically Fentanyl, in class meetings, Mustang Block, Pack Time, Health/PE classes and other opportunities for learning as they occur.
Ensuring the availability of Narcan/Naloxone medication in our Secondary schools and training staff on how to administer in case of an overdose.
Providing signage to schools in both English and Spanish to support recognizing and responding to an overdose, as well as information about the dangers of opioid use.
Updating our website to include information and resources for families and staff around substance abuse.
Collaborating with community partners including the Community Services Board and the Arlington Courts Intake Unit to link families to support for substance abuse assessments, intervention, and treatment.
Implementing a comprehensive model of threat assessments to address harm to self and others across the division.
Offering parent education resources to support families as they address the topic of substance abuse in the home. Here are some resources that many parents find helpful.
- Talking with Your Child About Opiates Brochure
- Talking with Teens About Alcohol and Other Drugs
- Heads Up Talk It Out Recovery Groups for Teens & Parents
- Fentanyl overdose survivor shares her story | Nightline
- The DEA created an emoji decoder guide for parents to help them decipher if their kids are talking about buying or selling drugs to others online.
  - EMOJI DRUG CODE | DECODED
- Wyatt's Story - YouTube
- Drugs & Your Family | Get Smart About Drugs

The most important strategy in the parent and educator toolbox is talking. Talk with your students about the dangers of buying and using drugs. Parents need to know who their students are interacting with and sometimes this means monitoring their texts, as well as their social media accounts.

February is Black History Month - Our History Matters

FCCPS is recognizing Black History month in a number of ways. This is a sampling of events and programs throughout the division that are celebrating the contributions and achievements of Black Americans.

The Morning Announcements is spotlighting personal stories of Black employees each week.
The Black Student Union at Meridian hosted a student panel in response to the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis.
Meridian has a Falls Church Black History powerpoint playing on the video screens throughout the school.
Daily announcements at both Meridian and Mary Ellen Henderson include Black History Month Trivia.
Tosin Adetoro, STEAM teacher at Oak Street Elementary has been sending daily tweets spotlighting noteworthy African Americans.
The Our History Matters Web Page includes a calendar of community events.

Communications Survey

The FCCPS Communication Survey is open. This is an opportunity for everyone in the community to provide feedback on how they connect with FCCPS, what they love, and what can be improved about the communications we use across the division. The link to the survey is fccps.org/survey. It is open through February 26. Please share your thoughts!

Oak Street Bridge Construction

If you normally travel on Oak Street, this is not news to you. If you haven’t driven to that part of town this week, be prepared to take a detour. The bridge across Tripps Run that is near Oak Street Elementary between S. Lee St. & Timber Lane is closed to vehicular traffic. The existing S. Oak Street bridge was built in 1953 and had a 10-ton weight limit. The new bridge will not have posted weight restrictions and will feature a concrete foundation, walls, and deck. The bridge replacement project is scheduled for completion in late 2023.

The Tiger Trail pedestrian and bike access will be safely maintained throughout the project. Keep up to date on details about the project on the City of Falls Church website.

Strategic Plan Midyear Update

Last spring, FCCPS completed a year-long strategic planning process with more than 1,000 participants generating big ideas and robust discussion for the future. We are turning those ideas into meaningful action in five areas of focus: Investing in Our People; IB Infused Teaching & Learning; Wellness, Equity & Belonging; Resource Management & Continuous Improvement; and Communication & Engagement. The actions in these focus areas encompass every facet of the school division. Some are continuations of programs; others are brand new. In this caring community, all FCCPS employees are involved as part of their daily work.

We are taking the Bite, Snack, Meal approach to this information - so you can access as much as you want, when you want it. There's a lot here, and the last thing any of us need is to feel overwhelmed.

If you just want a Bite, here's a one-page flyer with short descriptions of the work happening across the division.
Another Bite is this great video featuring FCCPS employees talking about progress on Investing in Our People initiatives.
If you want a little more information as a Snack, watch the 35-minute presentation from Wednesday’s Midyear Update Town Hall.
And if you really want to do a deep dive, the 14-course Meal is the newly updated webpage for the Strategic Plan that includes progress monitoring and evidence of what we are doing. Many people contributed to the work that is shown on these pages.

Be kind to each other, reach out for help when you need it, and be patient with those around you. Here’s to a swift end to winter and an early spring for us all to enjoy. Everyone certainly needs it.

Take care,

Peter

Falls Church City Public Schools

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