With a new principal at the helm, Alexandria City High School administrators will focus their efforts this school year on chronic absenteeism and implementing Virginia’s stricter ban against smartphones and other smart devices in schools.
On Wednesday morning (July 15), new principal Michael Burch told students, parents and administrators that he’s been sending out emails about the “bell-to-bell” phone ban signed into law by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D).
Burch said that there will be strict enforcement of the state law, which took effect on July 1.
“Every Friday moving forward, including last Friday, I’ve been sending out communication,” Burch said. “Hopefully every parent is getting the notification, because this is a state law and a School Board policy that we must follow.”
Chronic absenteeism is also on the rise at ACHS, which has more than 4,500 students and is the largest public high school in Virginia. More than 19% of ACHS students missed more than 10% of school during the 2024-2025 school year, a 3.5% increase over the previous year, according to the Virginia Department of Education.
Burch said that he recently told a dean to focus on attendance and cell phone issues.
Burch made the comments at the first “Brunch with Burch” event held at the ACHS King Street Campus. Burch says that he will host the brunch talks once a month, although a schedule hasn’t been set yet.
Burch said he’ll have to take off his own smart watch, and that school staff will also adhere to the rules.
“We also need to educate our adults in the building of how to model the proper behavior,” Burch said. “So, this is a big push for us.”
Burch added, “This is going to be a focus on the deans, not because we’re trying to punish anybody, but we are required to follow state law and regulations. This is what it is now for every high school in the state of Virginia.”
