On October 24, the Fairfax County School board conducted its bimonthly meeting at Jackson Middle School in Falls Church. The Board recognized October as Hindu Heritage Month, along with reviewing potential curriculum changes.

Noting the “significant Hindu American population” in Fairfax County and the contribution of Hindu Americans to the United States, the School Board proclaimed October as Hindu Heritage Month in a unanimous vote on Thursday. The Board recognized the achievements of many prominent Hindu Americans, including Rachna Sizemore Heizer, the first Hindu American Fairfax County School Board member, and State Senator Suhas Subramanyam, who made Virginia the first state to celebrate Hindu Heritage Month. The month of October was chosen because it contains major Hindu holidays such as Diwali and Navratri.

The School Board also reviewed recommendations from the FCPS Course Review Committee for the 2025-26 school year. Certain classes offered at Chantilly Academy, including Cloud Computing and Pharmacy Technician 2, were recommended to receive an additional GPA weighting of 0.5, and new classes including Ballet and Ceramics were proposed. 

In terms of graduation requirements, AP Human Geography and AP Seminar were recommended as required classes to graduate, with AP Seminar to be taken in place of tenth grade English. Both of these courses will remain optional for current sophomores, juniors and seniors, with AP Capstone being required for the class of 2028. The School Board will vote on all of the committee’s recommendations in a future meeting.

Meetings of the Fairfax County School Board are livestreamed on YouTube to remain accessible to the public. A recording of the meeting on Oct. 24 may be viewed here.