Alexandria City Public Schools

Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School could reopen next week after lead exposure

Published October 2, 2024 at 9:00AM

Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School (image via Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School/Facebook)

Alexandria City Public Schools is working to reopen Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School by next Monday (Oct. 7) — a week-and-a-half after the school closed due to a lead exposure.

ACPS staff are deep-cleaning the entire school (at 600 Russell Road) after an environmental contractor found lead particles last Thursday (Sept. 27) in a kindergarten classroom, a fourth grade classroom, the school clinic and the main office. The school closed the following day, and students and staff transitioned to remote learning.

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Alexandria Health Department working on providing blood lead level tests for elementary school students and staff

By Vernon Miles

Published October 1, 2024 at 3:30PM

Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School (image via Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School/Facebook)

The Alexandria Health Department said it is working to provide lead testing for students, faculty and staff at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School, which closed after possible lead exposure.

Testing for lead requires a blood test. According to the Alexandria Health Department:

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Alexandria elementary school still closed after lead exposure last week

By Vernon Miles

Published September 30, 2024 at 11:30AM

Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School (image via Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School/Facebook)

Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School in the Rosemont neighborhood remains closed today (Monday) after being closed last week due to a lead exposure incident at the school.

Principal Suzanne Hess sent a letter to the school’s community last Thursday saying contractors at the school for window replacement work discovered lead in two classrooms.

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4,800 tickets issued monthly by speed cameras in three Alexandria school zones

By James Cullum

Published September 25, 2024 at 9:00AM | Updated September 25, 2024 at 11:43AM

Speed cameras (via ACPS)

An average of 4,800 speeding tickets are being issued every month in three Alexandria school zones, and the city’s school system will soon look for locations for future speed cameras.

The data was presented at a joint City Council/School Board Committee meeting at City Hall on Monday (Sept. 23).

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Police: Recent threats made against Alexandria schools on social media are hoaxes

By Vernon Miles

Published September 24, 2024 at 3:20PM

Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Police Department (APD) said threats making the rounds on social media this week against Alexandria City Public Schools have been investigated and found to be not credible.

A release from APD said there would be a shooting at a school, though no specific school was mentioned. APD said the threats were assessed in collaboration with the Northern Virginia Regional Intelligence Center (NVRIC), a Fusion Center of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and found to be not credible. Similar threats have been circulating around the state and the country.

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Superintendent says threats reportedly issued on social media against Alexandria schools

By Vernon Miles

Published September 23, 2024 at 9:10AM | Updated September 23, 2024 at 12:28PM

School buses on W. Braddock Road on Dec. 10, 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said the school division is investigating threats reported against the local school division on social media.

No schools are currently closed as a result of the threats. Kay-Wyatt said in a message to the ACPS on Monday that the threats were not school-specific and are all being reported second-hand.

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Agenda Alexandria caps off season by addressing state of city’s school system

By James Cullum

Published September 19, 2024 at 9:00AM

George Mason Elementary School Principal Christopher Finan with students on the first day of school, August 21, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The last few years have been rough for Alexandria City Public Schools.

The school system and all involved with it have been impacted by the pandemic, learning loss, leadership changes, a staffing crisis, surging enrollment and more.

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Thousands of backpacks with school supplies donated to Alexandria City Public Schools

By Vernon Miles

Published September 17, 2024 at 11:30AM

Backpacks bound for K-2 kids (Photo via ACPS/Facebook)

Locals helped Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) hit their goal to collect 3,500 backpacks filled with school supplies to students in need this year.

The backpacks are being distributed by school social workers to students. ACPS said over 30 partner organizations helped raise funds and supplies for the drive.

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ACPS to launch dashboard showing student enrollment data

By James Cullum

Published September 10, 2024 at 2:45PM | Updated September 10, 2024 at 4:48PM

Celebrating at Alexandria City High School's graduation at George Mason University's EagleBank Arena, June 3, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools will soon make public an enrollment dashboard revealing the number of students and teachers at their schools on a monthly basis.

ACPS must submit a monthly student membership report to the Virginia Department of Education, and that information will be made public in the new dashboard next month, according to the school system.

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Alexandria City High School staggering student dismissal because of bus driver shortage

By Vernon Miles

Published September 5, 2024 at 3:45PM

School buses preparing at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Not long after warning families that the bus driver shortage will impact schools, Alexandria City Public Schools said it’s staggering student dismissal because of the driver shortage and schedule changes at the high school.

According to a letter from Alicia Hart, chief operating officer for Facilities and Operations at Alexandria City Public Schools, the school division will start having staggered student dismissal times for mid-day shuttle transportation at Alexandria City High School.

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ACPS offers bonuses for these ‘hard-to-fill’ jobs

By James Cullum

Published August 30, 2024 at 9:45AM

School buses preparing at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools is offering bonuses for a number of “hard-to-fill positions,” like bus drivers and math, science and special education teachers.

The employees who already work in these jobs will all get a $1,000 retention bonus in their paychecks next month, according to ACPS.