Alexandria City Public Schools

Families and Teachers Keep Active With Alexandria Summer School

Published July 17, 2020 at 3:15PM

Like thousands of Alexandria City Public School Students, Robasson, who wants to be a doctor or lawyer when she grows up, has had to adapt. She’s learning in a house with her parents and Maxwell, her six-year-old brother. And although the school year officially ended in June, she is participating in summer school.

“Summer school is going well,” Robasson said. “We are relearning in summer school the things that we already have, and that’s because we don’t really have time to waste, and we need to have that fresh in our minds so that when we do get back to school we can get back to the things we need to.”

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Virtual or Hybrid? School Board Getting ACPS Reopening Survey Results

By James Cullum

Published July 17, 2020 at 11:45AM | Updated July 22, 2020 at 10:19AM

Updated at 5:30 p.m. — A previous version of the story said that families and staff made up the 60% who preferred a hybrid model. Staff were reportedly not asked the question

The survey results are in and 60% of Alexandria City Public School families prefer a hybrid model for reopening schools this fall. Only two options were presented to the community in the survey, meaning that when school reopens it will either remain completely virtual or there will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual learning.

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published July 9, 2020 at 9:00AM

Beyer Doubles Down on Trump Stance on School Reopenings — “Trump has again overruled the nation’s leading public health officials for political reasons, this time on guidance for reopening schools. He is intentionally endangering American children because he believes it will help him get reelected.” [Twitter]

Planning Commission to Evaluate Increasing School Density — The Planning Commission’s September 2 docket has been posted to the city’s website, and it includes a discussion to allow for an increase in density for public school sites. Since last fall, the city and administrators have been coordinating on a plan to co-locate affordable housing on school grounds. [City of Alexandria]

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School Board to Vote on T.C. Williams High School Renaming Process Friday

By James Cullum

Published July 8, 2020 at 5:30PM

Alexandria City Public Schools have acknowledged that Thomas Chambliss Williams was a racist and segregationist, and on Friday the School Board will decide on moving forward with the renaming process for T.C. Williams High School.

On the table is a proposal to begin the renaming process by directing Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. to initiate a public engagement process this fall, followed by a report with recommendations next spring.

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ACPS Has No Comment on Chief Operating Officer’s Vocal Departure

By James Cullum

Published July 8, 2020 at 10:30AM

Alexandria City Public Schools will not comment on assertions made by the former ACPS Chief Operating Officer Mignon Anthony, who lambasted the school system and the leadership of Superintendent Gregory Huthings, Jr. in a scathing opinion letter published by the Alexandria Times.

Anthony apologized for not fulfilling promises made when she started her job in January 2018, and said that the tide turned against her after raising concerns over de-escalating transportation employee complaints. She also that ACPS leadership is unstable and that it “does not serve our students or educators well.”

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Free Food Update: No ACPS Food Distribution This Weekend

By James Cullum

Published July 2, 2020 at 3:15PM | Updated July 2, 2020 at 4:20PM

Packed lunches at T.C. Williams High School (now Alexandria City High School), March 16, 2020. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Free food distributions will be disrupted by the July 4 weekend in Alexandria, but food is still available.

Most notably there will not be any Alexandria City Public Schools distributions from Friday, July 3, until operations resume on Monday, July 6.

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Advocates Want Accelerated T.C. Williams High School Renaming Process

By James Cullum

Published June 29, 2020 at 2:10PM | Updated June 30, 2020 at 10:24AM

Alexandria African American activists and leaders virtually came out in force on Sunday to demand that T.C. Williams High School be renamed.

“When I first learned that the high school that I graduated from was named after a segregationist and a racist, I was appalled,” said Lindsey Woodson Vick, a T.C. grad, who organized and led Zoom chat with advocates for changing the school name. “We owe better to the people who came before us and the people who will come after us.”

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Alexandria Weekend Discussion

By James Cullum

Published June 26, 2020 at 5:15PM

It was a busy week in Alexandria, and there is plenty to talk about.

The city is moving forward with phase three of reopening its economy on July 1, and the news comes as the death toll from the coronavirus moved up to 50 and the number of cases steadily rise.

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Alexandria Virtual Summer School Scheduled to Start Early Next Month

By Vernon Miles

Published June 26, 2020 at 2:00PM

Students learning at home during the COVID-19 shutdown (Photo via ACPS/Facebook)

A summer learning program all Alexandria City Public Schools students will be expected to attend is scheduled to start on July 6 and will continue throughout that month.

According to ACPS, summer learning will be offered Monday through Thursday from July 6 to July 31. Pre-K through 8th-grade classes are scheduled to run from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. while high school classes are scheduled to run from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Class sizes are expected to be around 25-30 students together in a Zoom call.

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School Board to Address T.C. Renaming This Fall

By James Cullum

Published June 24, 2020 at 10:20AM

The Alexandria School Board has received a petition from the community, and the topic of renaming T.C. Williams High School will be addressed this fall, according to Board Chair Cindy Anderson.

The school system will also be looking at the names of all of its facilities, however no future date has been set in stone as ACPS is focusing on its reopening plan, Anderson said.

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Year-Round School Temporarily Deferred at Samuel Tucker Elementary School

By Vernon Miles

Published June 22, 2020 at 5:30PM

Samuel Tucker Elementary’s proud year-round school program is being cut back this year due to coronavirus, but School Board members offered reassurances to the community that the change is only temporary.

At a School Board meeting last Friday, school principal Rene Paschal said the questions about how coronavirus would impact the school’s calendar started in the parent community and conversations with school staff continued until the school administration was putting together a plan for what a temporary change away from the year-round program would look like.