Contact Fairfax County Supervisors TODAY to Save After School Programs!
Don’t let them Cancel Extracurriculars for our Teens!
This week, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BoS) is crafting their plan to eliminate funding for the Middle School After-School Program next year. Despite a surplus last year this program, that serves tens of thousands of Fairfax families and employs 26 amazing program specialists, will likely end up on the chopping block, unless you act now.
Nearly twenty-five years ago, the after school program was funded through public and private partnerships to combat crime and increased gang recruitment of middle school students by providing 5-day programming afterschool from 2:30-4:30 pm. Now this program serves 23,000 students (and their families) across the 26 middle schools in Fairfax County. These programs contribute to health, wellbeing, academic success, and a sense of community among middle schoolers by:
Providing quality programming in the areas of recreation, academic enrichment, social skills, youth development, physical health, wellness, and for students to create connections to their peers, their school, and their community.
The after school program specialist at each middle school oversees the program, ensures diverse offerings that meet the needs and interests of students, and provides a healthy snack. If these programs are axed, 23,000 students per year will miss these opportunities to grow, learn, and make connections where they can form lifelong friendships, as well as develop skills, interests, and hobbies that will serve them a lifetime. Additionally, Fairfax County will see a likely see a marked rise in mental health issues, screentime, and crime among middle schoolers, AND a decrease in students ready to participate and succeed in high school activities including athletic and academic competitions.
If you live or work in Fairfax County and want our middle schoolers to succeed, please contact the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Chairman to urge them NOT to eliminate middle school afterschool and summer programs by Friday, March 14, 2025 and sign this petition.
Find contact information for your Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
Find contact information for your Fairfax County School Board
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To learn more about how this will impact middle schoolers, our families and our schools, please read last week's blog on the subject.
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