Police dispatched three times for fighting at Alexandria City Public Schools in less than a month

Alexandria Police have been dispatched to Alexandria City Public Schools three times to respond to students fighting since school started on August 24.

The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday, September 14, just before 1 p.m. at the Alexandria City High School Minnie Howard campus at 3801 West Braddock Road. The student victim was not transported to the hospital.

“The call came from the parent of a juvenile, and was received after the event occurred,” Alexandria Police senior public information officer Amanda Paga told ALXnow. “This is an ongoing investigation involving juveniles.”

ACPS did not comment on the incident.

There have been a number of fights within Alexandria City High School since school started, including a brawl that was filmed by a student during the first week. In the video, security guards and staff are shoved around in the cafeteria of Virginia’s largest high school.

Some say the violence is due to the absence of school resource officers.

The Alexandria City Council voted 4-3 in May to redirect nearly $800,000 in SRO funding toward student mental health resources, a move that was decried by the School Board. The reallocation took away a police presence inside Alexandria City High School, Francis C. Hammond Middle School and George Washington Middle School.

School Board Chair Meagan Alderton says that ACPS and the police department need to get creative in preserving its memorandum of understanding with the police department.

“I think it’s important for our students to have access to our police officers, not just when they’re out in the community,” Alderton told ALXnow. “I do want our police department to stay in touch with our schools. It is an important connection, and I’m sure we can come up with some good ideas.”