Rally for Libraries--then School Board meeting

Come rally for libraries outside--then support in the audience  inside on Thursday March 24.  Rally at 6:30,  school board meetimng around 7 p.m. 

You are also encoraged to sign up for the lottery to speak (sign-ups close on Tuesday March 22  at 7 p.m.)

Rally for libraries, then the Regular Business Meeting of Fairfax County School Board

Date: March 24, 2022

Time: Rally at 6:30, school board meeting at 7:00 or after.

The school board is recognizing National Library Week, and the Associated School Librarians of Fairfax County.

Public testimony may begin from 7:15 to 8:15, after the recognitions. It may continue until 8:30 or 9:00  p.m., depending on circumstances.

Bring a favorite book, or posters about books (signs brought into the auditorium must be 8 1/2 x 11 inches; that is, notebook-sized--but any size is OK for the rally.

We will also have some signs of the approved size to hold up inside.

 

The public testimony is followed by the regular business of the meeting.

The agenda will be posted in the evening of 3/18, and can be found here (search under “meetings” tab at top right).  https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/vpublic?open

Location: Luther Jackson Middle School entrance and auditorium.

3020 Gallows Rd. (just north of Arlington Blvd., just outside the beltway)

Falls Church, VA 22042

You can also watch on Cox channel 99 or on the live stream at home here: https://www.fcps.edu/school-board/school-board-meetings

Topic: speakers may address any topic, but NOT  budget and ESSER funds; our focus this night is to support school libraries. Personal stories of librarians, libraries or books that have touched you are good.

If your own children are interested, by all means have them sign up. Priority is given in the speaker lottery to current FCPS students. For your students at school, you must get parent OK's to ask them to sign up (verbal or email is fine--no form to sign).

Registration to speak: this meeting has limited speakers. Registration for the speakers’ lottery opens at 6 a.m. (morning)  on Friday March 18 and continues until Tuesday March 22  at 7 p.m. (evening), after which the results of the lottery are emailed to speakers. Registration for the lottery will be on this Google Form 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ivN9YIJeuu3kHRYX_ilq2SRNHFwhGMfIYzazmpsEYX8/closedform

You do not need to register to attend, just to speak. Masks are not required by the school system, but we encourage them.

There is a limit of 13 speakers and 3 videos; the first three spots are reserved for current students. Registrants enter a lottery (with separate pools for students; adults; and  videos. The virtual and in-person speakers are not in separate pools). The lottery is conducted at 7 p.m. (evening) on March 22.

When registering you must choose among 1) in-person; 2) virtual ; or 3) video.  You may not change this later. You must designate whether you are a current student or not.

 You must give your actual address (and school for students) but this will not be shared. Accurate email addresses and phone numbers are important for the clerk to contact you to tell you that you have acquired a spot, but again this will not be shared.

After the 13 guaranteed speaking spots, there is a waiting list of 10. Wait-listers must be there in-person to claim their spot.  If the wait-list of 10 is not full, walk-ins will be taken first-come starting at 5:30 until 6:30. The three videos are separate, and the Youtube link must be turned in by 7 a.m. in the morning of Wednesday March 23 (earlier is recommended, but not required). They really are just looking for a video of you speaking; nothing copyrighted. 

Speakers must be: 1) residents of Fairfax County or City; 2) current employees of FCPS; 3) current students in FCPS; 4) parents of current students in FCPS; or 5) business partners of FCPS (contractors and such).

Speaking spots may NOT be transferred to other people for any reason.

Speakers only have two minutes. The mic is cut automatically after two minutes, for everyone.