News

JUST IN: ACPS Announces No In-Person Schooling For Week of Feb. 1

By James Cullum

Alexandria City Public Schools has delayed its partial reopening for the week of Feb. 1.

Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. made the announcement today, and cited rising COVID-19 numbers and strained staffing resources as the reasons for the continued closure.

“Due to our current community transmission levels and school impact level, we have made the decision to delay the reentry of students who were set to return to schools the week of Feb. 1,” Hutchings announced. “As you may be aware, the number of positive cases and transmission rates in Alexandria have continued to remain at high levels.”

Students with disabilities from kindergarten to fifth grade, early childhood special education students and English learners in kindergarten to fifth grade were supposed to go back to school on Jan. 19, but the opening was delayed a week, and then pushed again to Feb. 1.

The remainder of the student groups are still listed to go back to school on February 9 and February 16.

ACPS listed the following data in the announcement:

  • Percentage of RT-PCR tests that are positive during the last 14 days: 10.1% – Highest Risk
  • Total number of new cases per 100,000 persons within the last 14 days: 599.9 – Highest Risk
  • ACPS staffing and capacity level: strained (50-75%)

Below is the new tentative timeline for the partial reopening of public school in Alexandria:

Photo via T.C. Williams Minnie Howard Campus/Facebook

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.