F.C. Council Writes in Support Of Schools’ Transgender Policy
In a statement released yesterday, the Falls Church City Council, in a letter signed by Mayor David Tarter and City Manager Wyatt Shields, has thrown its support behind the actions taken last week by the Falls Church City Public Schools to affirm support for the rights and respect for all transgender students.
The Council’s statement, shown here in full, reads as follows:
“The Falls Church City Council writes in support of the Joint Statement on Transgender Rights in FCCPS that was issued on September 20, 2022. The Council appreciates the Board’s leadership in ensuring that all students are treated with dignity and respect in our schools.
“We share the concerns expressed by many Virginians with the draft Model Policies put forth recently by the Virginia Department of Education. The Virginia Human Rights Act and court precedents make it clear that government agencies and public schools have a duty to respect the gender identity of transgender persons.
“The two elected bodies of the City are unified in seeking to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all residents of and visitors to the City of Falls Church. We look forward to continued partnership with the School Board toward this goal.”
New Haycock Road Crosswalk in Operation
The Haycock Road crosswalk utilized mostly by Meridian High and Henderson Middle students was officially relocated a half-block up the street to its new permanent location on the northside of Mustang Alley this Monday.
“The new crosswalk is permanently marked with striping and police will be at the crosswalk to assist walkers and bike riders and to direct traffic” a statement from the schools in their morning announcements stated. “Meridian and Henderson will have additional staff on Haycock Road to aid the students in their safe passage.”
Meridian Students Attend Alcanza College Fair at GMU
On October 19 Meridian students attended the Alcanza College Fair at George Mason University with the assistance of Sheri Mural, college and career specialist at Meridian, Valerie Hardy, the FCCPS Head of Secondary Schools and Lindsey Jacobs, Meridian school counselor, who functioned as chaperones.
About Alcanza as reported on the GMU website and reprinted in the FCCPS morning announcements this week, “Mason hosts Alcanza as part of an effort to inform the LatinX high school population in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area about their higher educational opportunities and to encourage them to pursue their education beyond high school.”
It adds, “The event was created to get students motivated and excited about their post-secondary plans. Over 200 colleges from all over the nation attend Alcanza with about 2,000 high school students from all over the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
“The students in attendance hear from a keynote speaker before having the opportunity to participate in the college fair. To end the day, lunch is provided to all students in attendance. The day is an opportunity for these students to understand the college process and begin to discover where they would like to spend their college years.”
Fall VPIS Meeting to Talk Tree Canopy Issues
The Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) Fall Membership Meeting set for Sunday, Nov. 13, will focus on efforts to maintain and improve tree canopy within the City and the region, in light of recent canopy declines and to help address climate change.
Key speakers will include Jim McGlone, Urban Forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry, N. Virginia region, and a Senior Arborist from Casey Trees, a non-profit foundation working with the District of Columbia to plant thousands of trees each year.
Falls Church City arboristr Amy Crumpton will offer an overview of the Falls Church Neighborhood Tree Program (NTP), a partnership between the City and VPIS that has been making free street trees available to residents for over twenty years.
The meeting will be held on Sunday, November 13 at 3 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 400 North Oak St. in FC.
Fairfax Board Votes 9-0 To Adopt ‘Resilient Fairfax’
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ chair Jeff McKay reported yesterday that the board adopted on a vote of 9-0 (with one abstention) Resilient Fairfax, a comprehensive approach led by the county’s Office of Energy and Environmental Coordination (OEEC) and involving 20 County agencies as well as stakeholders from local, state, and federal government, utilities, industry, non-profits, advocacy and environmental organizations, and the general public.
After more than 200 engagement opportunities, the county staff assembled a detailed report that identifies short, medium and long-term cost effective actions that will help to mitigate the impacts of weather extremes caused by climate change through an extensive data-driven audit of Fairfax County’s strengths and vulnerabilities, McKay reported.
Several of the programs involve adapting our buildings, roads, bridges, waterways, and parks. Others are designed for our residents to prepare their homes and property McKay said.
