children | ALXnow

Alexandria leaders to speak at first-ever State of Early Childhood event

Published October 2, 2025 at 2:30PM

Children listen to Paralympic gold medalist Trevon Jenifer at the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys & Girls Club at 401 N. Payne Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria leaders will discuss the early childhood initiatives across the city in a first-ever series of conversations.

The Kids’ First Years (KFY) State of Early Childhood 2025 event will be held at First Baptist Church (2922 King Street) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Mayor Alyia Gaskins will kick off the free event with opening remarks, along with KFY CEO Michelle Smith Howard. The event is intended to bring together city leaders, educators, and advocates to “build a thriving early childhood system that fuels the city’s economy, strengthens the workforce and supports every family,” according to the nonprofit.

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Student brandishes knife at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus, no injuries reported

By James Cullum

Published September 26, 2025 at 10:00AM

Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus (staff photo by James Cullum)

A student brandished a pocket knife during a classroom argument Thursday at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus, but no one was injured, school officials said.

Teachers quickly separated the students involved in the dispute, and school resource officers responded immediately, Harrell said. The incident occurred in a second-floor classroom shortly before noon, according to radio dispatches.

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Alexandria Police partner with local groups for youth soccer tournament Saturday

By James Cullum

Published September 25, 2025 at 1:45PM

There's a back-to-school soccer tournament at Alexandria City High School on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 (via Facebook)

The Alexandria Police Department is partnering with local organizations to host a back-to-school soccer tournament for local youth on Saturday, Sept. 27.

The tournament will consist of a series of pick-up soccer games for teenagers at Alexandria City High School‘s King Street campus (3330 King Street), providing positive outlets and introducing them to city resources. The free event, presented by APD’s Crime Prevention Unit, the Alexandria Police Foundation, the Alexandria Gang Prevention Community Task Force, Alexandria Juvenile Court Services, the Alexandria Soccer Association, NOVA RAFT, and the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, will take place from 2 to 6 p.m.

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DASH places 2 registered sex offenders on leave following ALXnow reporting

By James Cullum

Published September 24, 2025 at 6:00PM

Electric DASH bus, photo via DASH/Facebook

Following Tuesday’s story about DASH hiring policies not prohibiting sex offenders, the transit agency has placed two employees on the Virginia State Police registry on administrative leave to “assess the rigor of our recruitment standards and ensure we meet the highest standards in providing safe, fair, and accessible transit to our community.”

ALXnow looked into DASH’s hiring practices after the Alexandria School Board discussed safety concerns about a proposal to transport Alexandria City High School students on DASH buses starting next school year.

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Amid school board safety concerns over student transport, DASH says it doesn’t ‘expressly prohibit’ hiring sex offenders

By James Cullum

Published September 23, 2025 at 5:52PM | Updated September 24, 2025 at 6:03PM

A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

UPDATE (Sept. 24, 2025): Following this reporting, DASH has placed both registered sex offenders on administrative leave. The transit agency said it is now assessing “the rigor of our recruitment standards” and confirmed that one of the employees is a bus driver, contradicting its initial statement Tuesday that no drivers were on the registry. DASH places 2 registered sex offenders on leave following ALXnow reporting

Following a discussion on the Alexandria School Board’s safety concerns about the proposal to transport Alexandria City High School students on DASH buses, ALXnow investigated the transit agency’s background check policies and discovered that it does not “expressly prohibit” sex offenders from employment.

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Alexandria schools set Sept. 30 deadline for back-to-school forms

By James Cullum

Published September 19, 2025 at 1:00PM

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

September 30 is the deadline for parents of Alexandria City Public Schools students to turn in back-to-school forms.

The school system states that the forms assist administrators with updating health information, providing points of contact for students, and addressing other significant changes. ACPS has also released videos in English (see below), Spanish, Amharic, and Dari on the forms.

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Charles Barrett Elementary unveils new reading corner with Amazon, community support

By James Cullum

Published September 18, 2025 at 11:45AM

Amazon and Reading is Fundamental collaborated to make a new reading corner at Charles Barrett Elementary School, Sept. 18, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Charles Barrett Elementary School unveiled a new reading corner Thursday, funded by a $75,000 Amazon donation and community partnerships aimed at boosting student literacy.

The project, six months in the making, transformed a corner of the school library with custom murals by artist Shawn James, comfortable seating and hundreds of new books. Amazon also donated 500 backpacks filled with books and supplies, while Reading Is Fundamental contributed more than 1,000 books to the school library.

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Alexandria schools see dramatic drop in student arrests, quarterly data shows

By James Cullum and Ryan Belmore

Published September 17, 2025 at 4:39PM

Alexandria Police at Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools will present quarterly safety data to the School Board Thursday showing a dramatic decline in student arrests and court referrals, with 28 total cases during the 2024-25 school year compared to 69 the previous year.

The latest quarterly report covers 262 safety incidents between January and June, with 8 student court referrals and 6 arrests during the third and fourth quarters. This represents a 59% decrease from the 2023-24 school year.

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Washington Commanders players visit Alexandria school, distribute $5,000 in food, supplies

By James Cullum

Published September 16, 2025 at 2:21PM | Updated September 16, 2025 at 3:13PM

Players with the Washington Commanders visited Mount Vernon Community School, Sept. 16, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Mount Vernon Community School students in Alexandria got a visit on Tuesday from Washington Commanders players, who gave away $5,000 worth of food, plush footballs, hats, and notebooks.

Commanders running back Christopher Rodriguez, Jr., wide receivers Jaylin Lane and Chris Moore, and mascot Major Tuddy visited the school in collaboration with the nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack. In addition to receiving signed team merchandise, students also got bags with yogurt, pretzels, fruit cups, cereal, soup, macaroni and cheese, and tuna.

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Teacher at Alexandria daycare fired for tying 21-month-old to chair

By James Cullum

Published September 15, 2025 at 1:00PM | Updated September 16, 2025 at 2:12PM

A teacher at Vinci School Alexandria North was fired after allegedly tying a 21-month-old child to a chair during lunchtime on Aug. 13, 2025 (via Google Maps)

A teacher at a daycare in Old Town North has been fired, and her aide was reprimanded after a 21-month-old child was tied to a chair for 22 minutes during lunchtime on Wednesday, August 13.

The Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) made an unannounced inspection of the Vinci School Alexandria North (1001 N. Fairfax Street) on Aug. 21, after receiving a self-report on forbidden actions from the daycare’s licensing office. The toddler was tied to a chair with a thin blanket after throwing food on the floor and moving from a table while eating during lunchtime, DSS reported.

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Alexandria high school library receives crowdfunded LEGO kits for student makerspace

By James Cullum

Published September 10, 2025 at 3:30PM

Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus (staff photo by James Cullum)

The library at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard campus has successfully gotten crowdsource funding for LEGO architecture kits.

The school librarian raised $755 from a dozen givers via Donors Choose for kits that include Malfoy Manor from the Harry Potter book series, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and the Statue of Liberty.