Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. wants another year of funding for the school resource officer program — time he says that will allow Alexandria City Public Schools to map out its future without a rush.
Hutchings says the extension will allow for the formation of a School Law Enforcement Advisory Group next month, which will closely study the SRO program and hammer out a proposal for a new bi-annual memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Alexandria Police Department in December.
“What we are asking the Board is to inquire that request with the City Council to extend the timeframe for our SRO funding so that we can have the adequate time to really work through the advisory group, and bring a recommendation to the board that’s not in a rushed format,” Hutchings told the Board Thursday night.
In the meantime, the $800,000 program will continue as-is, with the specially trained police officers stationed within Alexandria’s two middle schools and the Alexandria City High School Minnie Howard campus. There are no SROs at Alexandria City High School’s King Street campus since both officers placed on leave after a “serious complaint” from a former student alleging “sexually inappropriate conversations” while she attended ACHS. The determination on returning SROs to ACHS is up to Alexandria Police, which has rotated detail officers in and out of the school on a daily basis.
Some are unhappy about the extension, including Sindy Carballo Garcia, a youth organizer for Tenants And Workers United.
“It’s still unacceptable that the data keeps on showing the same results, that among all students being arrested, primarily black students are the ones that are that are being arrested in disproportionate percentages,” Garcia told the Board during the public comment portion of the meeting. “It is unacceptable that we do not prioritize programs such as mental health and restorative practices, and fully invest in them to implement them correctly to meet the needs of students by truly supporting students and having trusted trained adults that understand and serve young people.”
The advisory group will be formed and presented to the School Board at its meeting on April 21.
Recent Stories
Stunning reno w/resort like amenities on almost 1 acre w/4 car garage; 6BR-5.5BA
Two of Alexandria’s three Democrat mayoral candidates sparred onstage Tuesday night, expressing vastly different ideas on how they would manage city affairs. In the Alexandria Democratic Committee‘s debate hosted by…
If you’ve had trouble getting a spot at Thompson Italian in Old Town, you could be in luck soon. The acclaimed Italian restaurant could be getting a new third-floor expansion…
A new tour will bring locals on a tour around the ‘Lost Buildings’ around the historic Black neighborhoods of the Berg and Parker-Gray. The Berg is a neighborhood around North…
Good news, D.C. area. You can save money on your next home cleaning with Well-Paid Maids. It’s easy!
We offer a discount when you set up recurring cleans — and the discounts just increased this week!
For weekly cleans, get $30 off each cleaning.
Potomac Harmony is Back! Following a gap year of competing, then virtual rehearsals during the pandemic, followed by the well-earned retirement of our long-term director, a year of a director search, Potomac Harmony hit the regional contest stage in Concord, North Carolina in March for the first time since 2018! It was exhilarating, reaffirming, and rewarding!
The chorus hit all of its goals, the biggest of which was to have fun and sing our best on contest stage — we did both! Because we earned a score over 400 points, our new Director, Allison Lynskey, was awarded the Novice Director award, photo above. Additionally, one of our charter members, Jackie Bottash, was nominated for and honored with the Leadership Excellence award. It was a celebratory weekend!
What’s next? So much! We now look forward to upcoming performances, growing our membership, and expanding our musical product with new arrangements and an education component each week. It’s an exciting time to be part of this ever-growing ensemble!
Alexandria NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, DPC to hold City Council…
The Alexandria Branch of the NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, and The Departmental Progressive Club to hold the City Council Candidate Forum for ALL Candidates in the City of Alexandria Virginia. The event is Free of Charge and Open to The
