Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt

With 19,000 voters expected at school sites, April 21 student holiday approved at ACPS

Published March 30, 2026 at 2:45PM

Voting at Douglas MacArthur School (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Alexandria City School Board approved April 21 as a student holiday as election officials anticipate high turnout for the special election at school-based polling sites. While students will be off, ACPS staff will have a work day.

Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt presented the School Board with the proposal last Thursday (March 26) after a discussion with Alexandria’s election officials. April 21 is the date of the special elections to decide a statewide mid-decade redistricting amendment for Virginia’s congressional districts and fill former Councilman R. Kirk McPike’s City Council seat following his election to Virginia’s 5th House District.

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NEW: ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt to resign

By Emily Leayman

Published March 27, 2026 at 8:15AM

ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt speaks at the Alexandria City Essential Workers Appreciation ceremony at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School, March 19, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt will resign on Oct. 1, the Alexandria City School Board announced Thursday night.

The announcement was made during Thursday night’s School Board meeting. Kay-Wyatt will continue in the role into the new school year as new school attendance boundaries are implemented at Alexandria City Public Schools.

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ACPS seeks to hire new Alexandria City High School principal by late May

By Emily Leayman

Published March 18, 2026 at 10:30AM

Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools has started the process of selecting a new principal for its high school in time for the next school year.

Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt announced a hiring process and timeline for the next principal of Alexandria City High School. A job posting was released on Monday, and a community survey to gather input will open today (Wednesday) through March 23.

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ACPS superintendent scheduled for Sept. 3 virtual community forum

By Ryan Belmore

Published August 20, 2025 at 9:02AM

ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt speaks at Mount Vernon Community School on Nov. 15, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Concerned Citizens Network of Alexandria will host a community town hall meeting with Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt on Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 6-7 p.m. via Zoom.

The virtual forum, announced Tuesday on the organization’s Instagram account, will provide residents an opportunity to engage directly with the district’s top administrator about education issues affecting the community. The meeting comes just over two weeks after ACPS students returned to classrooms on Monday, Aug. 18, for the start of the 2025-26 school year.

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Superintendent Kay-Wyatt discusses challenges and solutions for youth well-being at regional conference

By Ryan Belmore

Published March 26, 2025 at 8:00PM

Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt speaking at the 2025 Shape of the Region Conference (via 2025 Shape of the Region Conference)

Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt emphasized the critical importance of addressing mental health needs across diverse student populations during a panel discussion at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s Shape of the Region conference on Wednesday, March 26.

“In Alexandria, I have the largest high school in the state of Virginia. It’s almost 5,000 students in four campuses. We are very diverse. One hundred eighteen different countries, 120 plus languages,” Dr. Kay-Wyatt told attendees at the conference focused on creating safe and supportive futures for Northern Virginia’s youth.