Editor,

We moved to Falls Church City in part for the excellent schools, which has been the case. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, our school system has been a beacon of stability in this turbulent time. We are known for our small class sizes and baccalaureate program. However, we and many concerned parents were surprised to see that FCCPS were the odd man out with our surrounding school systems on whether or not to lift masks. Falls Church City always says it will be in synch with our sister school systems of Fairfax and Arlington counties. We have done that with school calendars and other major decisions. Yet when it is time to take a stand and defend the health of our students, teachers, and community, we said we had to think about it and will decide later.

Our new governor said his new mandate is about empowering parents. Well, we want to be empowered to select the health and safety of our children and community. If FCCPS selects to lift masks, we want the option for our students to go virtual at a minimum. A lot of our students or their families are immunocompromised. Please do not have us have to make the choice between our children’s education and their health. Empower us and give us an option.

We moved here for that option. Please follow through, give us a voice, and let us ensure our children are taken care of.

Steve & Letty Stover
Falls Church