News

School’s out for summer in Alexandria starting this week.

Thursday (June 12) is the last official day of the 2024-2025 school year for Alexandria City Public Schools, not counting Alexandria City High School’s senior graduation last month.


News

Patrick Henry K-8 School (4643 Taney Avenue) is dismissing students and staff early Thursday (June 5) due to issues with its air conditioning system.

Due to temperatures exceeding 80 degrees inside the building, students will be dismissed at 1:30 p.m. All school-related events at Patrick Henry Recreation Center are also canceled.


News

With summer vacation just days away, Alexandria leaders were on hand at Francis C. Hammond Middle School on Thursday (June 5) to receive 500 free backpacks filled with school supplies.

The backpacks, most of which are being stored for the start of the 2025-2026 school year, were donated to the Title I school as part of a collaboration between United Way National Capital Area, Enterprise Mobility, and American Water. United Way NCA’s partnership with Alexandria City Public Schools has provided more than 3,500 backpacks to the West End school since 2017.


News

As options are whittled down, the public has its last chance on Thursday night (June 5) to weigh in on proposed redistricting changes for Alexandria City Public Schools.

Months of discussion have led to this point, and the School Board is conducting its second public hearing on the proposed maps. The School Board will make its final decision on redistricting at its meeting on June 12. The new boundaries will go into effect in August 2026.


News

Alexandria City Public Schools is welcoming Jerylen Lavender Daniels as the new principal of Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School (535 Ferdinand Day Drive), starting June 16, 2025.

Daniels isn’t new to Tucker; she has been the assistant principal since 2021.


News

The Alexandria City Public Schools School Board has narrowed its redistricting options, eliminating the Circle Plan while advancing the Triangle 2 and Triangle 3 maps for elementary schools. The decision came during a six-hour Regular School Board meeting on May 29, setting the stage for a final vote on June 12.

For middle schools, the board will consider three options: Option B (minor changes), Option C (Quaker Lane), and Option E (a combination that includes specific grade 6-8 boundary lines for K-8 schools).


News

The Alexandria City School Board held a public hearing on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) and the Alexandria Police Department (APD) on Tuesday (May 27). The hearing focused on proposed revisions to the agreement that governs the relationship between schools and law enforcement, including the role of School Resource Officers (SROs).

Four speakers addressed the board during the sixteen-minute hearing, expressing concerns about specific provisions in the proposed MOU. The primary issues raised include student privacy, access to educational records, and procedures for questioning students.


News

It wasn’t just raining outside today. Tears of happiness streamed from students, parents, educators, and city leaders as 984 Alexandria City High School seniors graduated at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena. That’s the largest graduating class in ACHS history.

Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt told the students that now is the time for them to harness their potential, creativity, brilliance, and resilience.


News

The City of Alexandria wants to hear from you about proposed safety improvements near Alexandria City High School on King Street. They’re hosting an open house on June 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria at 3330 King St.

The Department of Transportation and Environmental Services is leading this effort to enhance safety and improve traffic flow in front of the school. Residents will have a chance to learn about current conditions and proposed changes and share their thoughts with the project team.


News

More than 130 families from the MacArthur Elementary School community delivered a letter to the School Board this week opposing redistricting changes heading to the School Board for a final decision next month.

Keep Students Together, a new group dedicated to the issue, said that the proposals tosplit the elementary school community” are speculative and rushed, and will disrupt kids who started their elementary school experiences during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Opinion

ALXnow has received the following Letter to the Editor from Ruth H. Leiva, a Landmark area resident and parent at Patrick Henry K-8 School. She writes to express deep concerns, shared by other families, teachers, and staff, regarding the ongoing Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) redistricting process and its potential impact on their West End community.

Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed within this letter to the editor are those of the author and are not necessarily the views of ALXnow or its advertisers. Have an opinion that you’d like to share? Read more about speaking your mind through ALXnow Letter to the Editor here.


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