Students at Alexandria City High School (ACHS) will be taught remotely today (Thursday) and Friday after a series of fights yesterday at the King Street campus.
Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt shared a letter with school families expressing disappointment with the rash of violence at the school. While Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) has shared few details about what occurred, ACHS students reported that a staff member was hit during one of the fights.
Kay-Wyatt said the two days will be used to “devise a plan for additional measures that will be implemented when teachers and staff return on Jan. 6, 2025.
The message from Kay-Wyatt is shared below:
Following the incidents today at the Alexandria City High School (ACHS) King Street Campus, I am providing an important update regarding our instructional schedule and address how we are handling these incidents. I would also like to express how disheartening and concerning it was to learn about the unacceptable behaviors and actions taken by some of our students that resulted in injuries to staff and students. Our school community deserves better and counts on us to provide a safe place for teaching and learning. To that end, we will be adjusting our schedule for all high school campuses for the remainder of this week.
Earlier today we shared multiple messages regarding the student altercations at the ACHS King Street Campus. To ensure the safety of everyone in the building, the school was placed on a “hold status” for the majority of the afternoon. Although these incidents involved a small number of students, such events are extremely disruptive to the educational environment and interrupt the focus on learning that our students deserve.
As a result of our investigations thus far, we have learned about the possibility for additional student conflicts on Thursday, December 19, 2024 and Friday, December 20, 2024. Out of an abundance of caution and to prevent further instructional disruptions, there will be no in-person instruction at any ACHS campus on December 19 and December 20, 2024, and all students will participate in asynchronous instruction, which means all students will receive assignments and instructional materials online. All ACHS students should log into their accounts in Canvas for information specific to their courses and for their attendance to be counted. By doing so, we aim to maintain continuity of education while prioritizing the well-being and security of our students and staff.
Please be assured that we are actively working to resolve these issues, and we will continue to collaborate with staff, families, and the community to maintain a safe and productive learning environment for all of our students. Any student involved in fights, school threats, or other disruptive behaviors will be addressed in accordance with the ACPS Student Code of Conduct.
I, along with my cabinet, will be planning with the ACHS administration team for the next two days to devise a plan for additional measures that will be implemented when teachers and staff return on January 6, 2025. We will share highlights of this plan with ACHS families and staff before the official start of Winter Break on Friday, December 20, 2024. However, I do want to share with families at this time that the plan will include severe consequences for any disruptive behavior.
We recognize that this situation may have caused stress and concern for our students and families. To provide additional support to students and staff, the Department of Student Services and Equity will hold support circles to create space for students and staff to process the recent events in the school. The circles will occur on Thursday and Friday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for both students and staff.
