Fifty-five years after Black students walked through the doors of the original Minnie Howard School for the first time, a plaque will be installed honoring those whose efforts made it possible.
The historic marker, which will honor the efforts of two families who targeted the Alexandria School Board’s segregationist policies, is set to be unveiled in a ceremony on March 8.
School was closed for “traditional snow days” in January, but this month students aren’t so lucky as classes go to “synchronous learning” tomorrow.
According to a message send out by Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt, all schools will implement synchronous virtual learning for students while staff will participate in a virtual workday due to snow.
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt made a small clarifying addendum to a message released last month about how the school division handles immigration concerns.
Last month, Kay-Wyatt sent a letter to community members saying all children have a right to attend ACPS schools regardless of the immigration status of the students or their families. Kay-Wyatt also noted, though, that ACPS “is obligated to comply with all lawful orders and warrants from any law enforcement entity, including ICE.”
Alexandria’s Planning Commission threw its voice behind criticisms that Alexandria City Public Schools dropped the ball on the recent K-8 and PreK-8 school conversions controversy.
The Planning Commission voted unanimously last week in support of a letter concerning the George Mason Elementary School Modernization project and the Pre-K-8 School Capacity Planning Project, both of which faced scrutiny for lapses in public engagement.
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt announced that the schools will have a half-day so students and staff can return home before an anticipated winter storm.
In a message sent out at 5:25 p.m. today (Monday), Kay-Wyatt wrote that schools will dismiss around noon before the storm hits. It’s estimated Alexandria could see as much as 4-6 inches of snow.
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) will have a two-hour delayed opening tomorrow (Thursday) morning on account of expected sleet and ice tonight and tomorrow morning.
All students will report two hours later than the regular opening time, though essential personnel are expected to arrive at the normal time “if it is safe to do so based on weather conditions” while non-essential personnel should report two hours later.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins says that recent immigration enforcement raids in nearby jurisdictions have resulted in “fear, confusion, and concern,” and that the city won’t assist federal investigators.
In a statement posted on the city website today, the Democrat mayor said that Alexandria will always be a welcoming community where “all residents are supported, respected, and valued.”
With President Donald Trump removing restrictions preventing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from raiding schools, Alexandria Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt laid out the ways Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) are protected from ICE but also exceptions families should be aware of.
The message comes after a full-throated rebuke of ICE activities at school to the fullest extent allowable by law by Fairfax County Public Schools leadership. Kay-Wyatt’s message similarly noted that the schools can help shield children to an extent, but reaffirmed that ACPS “is obligated to comply with all lawful orders and warrants from any law enforcement entity, including ICE.
Alexandria City Public Schools’ (ACPS) new proposed budget comes with a raise for school district employees and more security for the schools.
At a budget presentation last night, Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt proposed a budget that’s a 4% increase over the current fiscal year’s budget. That increase includes a full-step increase for all eligible staff at the beginning of the contract year and an additional step increase to increase maximum pay, though ACPS staff on a Facebook page for school faculty noted that this doesn’t come with a cost of living adjustment.
At a School Board meeting tonight (Thursday), parents and other community members from Jefferson-Houston voiced strong opposition to plans to convert Jefferson-Houston and Patrick Henry, both K-8 schools, into a middle school and elementary school respectively.
The goal of the plan is to relieve overcrowding at Alexandria’s middle schools, though the conversions aren’t expected to take place until 2030 and 2032.
At a City Council meeting last week, City Council member Abdel Elnoubi and Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley introduced a proposal that could change the way Alexandria City High School students get to school.
Elnoubi and Bagley, with the unanimous backing of the City Council, asked staff to explore the utilization of the DASH bus network to transport for high school students, eliminating the need for school buses at the high school level.
