After years under development, the ribbon was cut today on the new synthetic turf sports field at Patrick Henry K-8 School.
It took six years to construct the field in front of the renovated West End school at 4643 Taney Avenue, which reopened next to the old school in early 2019.
There’s nothing like a new pair of shoes. This afternoon, all James K. Polk Elementary School students in Alexandria’s West End received free sneakers.
That’s 770 pairs of shoes, all donated to the students by Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Operation Warm and Georgia-based builder Beazer Homes. The event was just one in a handful today across the country that the companies are offering to school systems.
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 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.
An Alexandria City High School student allegedly brandished a knife and injured a student in a fight on the school football field during a fire drill today (Jan. 29), according to a letter from the school’s principal to parents.
The Alexandria Police Department responded to the ACHS King Street campus at around 11:30 a.m. for report of a 14-year-old male student who was injured with a cut to his finger, according to dispatches.
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.
Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt will unveil her fiscal year 2026 budget this week, and the city is asking the school division to keep the budget increase over last year’s budget modest.
In his budget presentation to the City Council in November, City Manager Jim Parajon outlined a 2%, or $5.5 million, combined funds budget increase for ACPS amounting to $278.5 million.
After reverting to virtual learning two days before winter break due to multiple fights, Alexandria City High School fully reopened with extra security guards and new safety measures at both high school campuses.
The additions include extra security guards at the ACHS King Street and Minnie Howard campuses, new security protocols at weapons screenings, more hallway monitoring, security duty stations in high-traffic areas and increased lunch supervision, according to an email from the Alexandria City Public Schools to ALXnow.
Alexandria City Public Schools will open with a two-hour delay on Thursday (Jan. 9).
The announcement from Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt was made on Wednesday night.
