Fairfax-Brewster School

The Farifax-Brewster School was a private K-6 elementary school in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia.[1] The school was founded in 1954 by Stuart A. Reiss and Robert S. Reiss, with Robert's wife Olga also serving in an administrative role.[2][3][1] The school began operating in 1955 with an average enrollment of 21 students.[3] The Fairfax-Brewster School opened a summer camp the following year, also serving students in Kindergarten through 6th grade.[3][4] By 1962, 21 students attended the summer camp.[3]

Fairfax-Brewster School
Location
Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia
Coordinates38.855067°N 77.1343409°W / 38.855067; -77.1343409
Information
TypePrivate
Opened1955
GradesK-6

The proximity of the school's founding to Brown v. Board of Education ruling desegregating public schools has led some legal scholars to describe Fairfax-Brester as a segregation academy.[5]

By 1972, enrollment at the Fairfax-Brewster School had grown to 236 students during the school year and 223 students at the summer camp.[3] No black student had ever been enrolled in the school or summer camp.[3] The school faced a federal lawsuit in 1973 (Runyon v. McCrary) after denying admission to a black child, Colin M. Gonzales.[3] The school denied having discriminated against black students, saying that Gonzales was not admitted because he would not qualify to begin first grade.[3] The court found that Gonzales was denied admission solely because of his race, a decision that was upheld on appeal to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.[6]:472[7][8]

The Reiss family continued to own and operate the Fairfax-Brewster School until Olga and Robert retired in 1987 and 1988, respectively.[1][2] By 1989, Norma Brill had become the owner and director of the school and summer camp.[4] The school was sold to Chancellor Beacon Academies in 2000, which was later acquired by Imagine Schools.[9][10]

In 2006, the school was torn down and several homes were built on the property, most of which have an address on Brill Court, a street named after former owner Norma Brill.

References
  1. "Olga Reiss Obituary - Falls Church, VA". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  2. "Robert S. Reiss, 81, private school founder". The Washington Times. 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  3. "Gonzales v. Fairfax-Brewster School, Inc., 363 F. Supp. 1200 (E.D. Va. 1973)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  4. S; Evans, ra (1989-07-09). "N.VA. DAY CAMPS TEACH CHILDREN SAFETY PRECAUTIONS". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  5. Teresa A. Clark, Civil Rights--Private School's Policy of Refusing to Admit Black People Solely Because of Their Race Violates Civil Rights Act of 1866 – 42 U.S.C. 1981 – Gonzales v. Fairfax-Brewster School, Inc., 363 F. Supp. 1200 (E.D. Va. 1973)., 7 Loy. L. A. L. Rev. 634 (1974).
  6. "Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co. Extended to Private Education: Gonzales v. Fairfax-Brewster School, Inc". University of Pennsylvania Law Review. 122 (2): 471–483. 1973. doi:10.2307/3311273. ISSN 0041-9907. JSTOR 3311273.
  7. "Appeals Court Rules Out Race As Sole Bar to Private Schools". The New York Times. 1975-04-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  8. Nelson, W. Dale (1976-06-25). "Private Schools Can't Deny Blacks". The Sumter Daily Item. Associated Press. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  9. "History of Chancellor Beacon Academies, Inc". FundingUniverse. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  10. Borja, Rhea R. (2004-06-09). "Multimillionaire Buys Major Charter School Manager - Education Week". Education Week. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
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