Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
🌤 Today’s weather: Clear throughout the day. High of 42 and low of 33.
⛅ Tomorrow: Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 52 and low of 33. Sunrise at 7:19 am and sunset at 5:25 pm.
🚨 You need to know
Earlier this week, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) sent out an alert to parents saying that confidential student contact information was made temporarily accessible by a vendor, ACPS said in a message to parents.
The vendor handled BlackBoard Connect services and, while the contract ended last June, months later the vendor made family email addresses, phone numbers, student grade levels, gender and local identifiers public.
“This disclosure came as a surprise to us since our relationship with the vendor ended for BlackBoard Connect services on June 30, 2022, and we had been assured by that vendor that all data and access to our information would be disconnected,” ACPS said in the message. “At our request, this information was removed from public access immediately and the vendor, FinalSite (now the owner of BlackBoard), conducted an investigation to determine how this happened, the information involved and whether the data had been accessed.”
ACPS said a report from the vendor said the information was made public by mistake by an engineer.
According to the release:
We are dismayed and disappointed to learn that this ACPS student information was temporarily made publicly available by our vendor, as we recognize the importance of keeping student information private, per Board Policy JRCA.
We apologize for this incident and will continue working closely with all ACPS vendors whose systems contain student data. We take our role protecting student information seriously and are committed to ensuring that our vendors take all necessary steps to enhance their protection of student data as well.
📈 Thursday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Jan 26, 2023.
- No arrest after woman robbed at gunpoint in Old Town Saturday night (2077 views)
- JUST IN: Visit Alexandria unveils new city branding (1369 views)
- Village Brauhaus in Old Town aims to open rooftop expansion before summer (579 views)
- Smallest and largest homes sold in Alexandria (Dec-Jan 2023) (577 views)
🗞 Other local coverage
- New Businesses, Developments, Experiences: What’s New In Alexandria
Patch (Thursday @ 4:54 pm)
- Poor Robert’s Ruminations with Rob Whittle: New BIZ-ness
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 4:07 pm)
- My View with Frank Putzu: Duke Street denialism
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 4:02 pm)
- My View with Denise Dunbar: Gary Oelze – An appreciation
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 3:48 pm)
- Real Talk: The basics of borrowing
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 3:43 pm)
- Unrivaled excellence and unsullied fame
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 3:33 pm)
- Community Fire Academy applications open
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 3:15 pm)
- Shooting suspect mistakenly released
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 3:00 pm)
- Second bargaining agreement reached
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 2:57 pm)
- Birchmere owner Gary Oelze dies at 80
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 2:51 pm)
- Home profile: From the ground up
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 2:33 pm)
- Resident Spotlight: Afghan refugee finds solace through helping fellow immigrants
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 2:04 pm)
- Alexandria Pet Of The Week: Boscoe The Gentle Giant
Patch (Thursday @ 1:59 pm)
- Alexandria’s GW Birthday Parade To Highlight 100 Years of Masonic Memorial
Zebra (Thursday @ 1:41 pm)
- City Council approves King Street apartment conversion
Alexandria Times (Thursday @ 1:15 pm)
- Lady Camellia Tea Room Finds New Life On Alexandria Waterfront
Patch (Thursday @ 12:02 pm)
- Alexandria Man With Loaded Handgun Caught At Reagan National Airport
Patch (Thursday @ 9:12 am)
🐦 Tweets of note
ACHS PTSA's letter to the ACPS School Board. @james_libresco @yahneymarie pic.twitter.com/9HjzE32lS9
— Katy Matthews (@KDGrossman) January 26, 2023
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today and this weekend in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 8:30 am Saturday: Fit Party — Free Classes & Open House at Zweet Sport Total Fitness
- 9:30 am Saturday: Condominium and Community Association Trainings: Board Meetings
Recent Stories
After two years of reconstruction, two Del Ray dog parks will be reopening to the public over the next several months. The formerly dusty, not-grassy Simpson Dog Park at 521…
Good Friday morning, Alexandria! 🌧️ Today’s weather: Showers are possible after 2pm, accompanied by cloudy skies and a high near 65°F. The southeast wind will be around 7 mph, and…
A look at the most and least expensive townhouses sold in Alexandria last month, March 2024.
New parks, 400-foot-tall commercial and residential buildings and more. The Hoffman family and its associates have a comprehensive idea for the future of the 79-acre site next door to the…
The Alexandria Branch of the NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, and The Departmental Progressive Club present the following two Primary Candidate Forums for the City of Alexandria Virginia. The events are free of charge and open to the public.
Mayoral Forum
● Who: Candidates for Mayor in the City of Alexandria, VA
Unlike our competitors, Well-Paid Maids doesn’t clean your home with harsh chemicals. Instead, we handpick cleaning products rated “safest” by the Environmental Working Group, the leading rating organization regarding product safety.
The reason is threefold.
First, using safe cleaning products ensures toxic chemicals won’t leak into waterways or harm wildlife if disposed of improperly.
Pro Coro Alexandria – To the Sea
Join Pro Coro Alexandria, the chamber choir of the Alexandria Choral Society, this Saturday for our concert, “To the Sea.” Experience a variety of songs from beloved choral classics like “Shenandoah” and “What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?”
Del Ray Kitchen Confidential Design Tour
Please join us for Del Ray Kitchen Confidential – a walking tour of recently renovated kitchens in Del Ray with the experts who make the magic happen! FA Design Build owner Rob Menefee and Design Consultant Melissa Fielding walk us
