School Board | ALXnow

ACPS reaffirms commitment against Governor Youngkin’s transgender restrictions

Published September 23, 2022 at 11:00AM

Alexandria City High School's homecoming football game against West Potomac on Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s interim superintendent says that Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposed new policies restricting transgender bathroom and pronoun use won’t be a distraction as the school system plans to continue its “gender-affirming policies.”

“We just want to make sure that we let our community know that we’re continuing our commitment to both implement and develop gender affirming policies for all ACPS students,” interim Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt told the School Board on Thursday night (September 22).

News

New safety report reveals all 2021-2022 arrest and security incidents within ACPS

By James Cullum

Published September 21, 2022 at 2:30PM | Updated September 23, 2022 at 2:20PM

Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus at 3801 W. Braddock Road was evacuated on Friday, Dec. 10, after a bomb threat. Here, Alexandria Police and a Bomb Dog look for anything suspicious outside the school. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Twenty six Alexandria City Public School students were arrested in the final two quarters of the 2021-2022 school year. There were also 34 students injured, 28 reported fights/assaults and 11 incidents of sexual assault/sexual misconduct.

There were also 15 seized weapons, including seven knives and three stun guns/tasers.

News

ACPS focusing on staff and student absenteeism

By James Cullum

Published September 9, 2022 at 11:05AM

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

Alexandria City Public Schools wants to get student and staff absenteeism under control.

A quarter of Latino students at ACPS were chronically absent last school year, and so were 16% of Black students and 22% of economically disadvantaged students, according to data presented to the School Board at a recent work session.

News

Human resources chief Melanie Kay-Wyatt chosen as ACPS interim superintendent

By James Cullum

Published July 29, 2022 at 10:00AM

The Alexandria School Board promoted Melanie Kay-Wyatt as the interim superintendent on Thursday night (July 28).

Kay-Wyatt was hired last year as the chief of human resources for Alexandria City Public Schools, and will have the interim superintendent position for at least the 2022-2023 school year or until a permanent superintendent is chosen.

News

Parents create list of safety recommendations for Alexandria City Public Schools

By James Cullum

Published July 28, 2022 at 1:50PM | Updated July 28, 2022 at 2:10PM

The 2021-2022 school year was “crazy”, says René Islas, the parent of four Alexandria City Public Schools students.

Islas leads The Community Group, a new movement of locals with a list of safety recommendations for the city and school system. After a school year punctuated by violent events, Islas said ACPS needs to work on prevention, justice, and accountability.

Around Town

School Board sends ACPS logo redesigns back to the drawing board

By James Cullum

Published June 21, 2022 at 1:15PM | Updated September 6, 2022 at 11:33AM

The School Board voted against this staff-preferred option for the ACPS logo. (Via ACPS)

After months of work, two logo redesigns for Alexandria City Public Schools were sent back to the drawing board.

Last Thursday night (June 16), the School Board voted 7-2 against staff’s preferred option. Only Board Members Willie Bailey and Christopher Harris voted for the preferred logo option.

News

School Board updates its operating procedures and rules on media engagement

By James Cullum

Published June 17, 2022 at 11:15AM | Updated June 17, 2022 at 3:07PM

ACPS Headquarters in Alexandria (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Alexandria School Board approved changes to their operating procedures on Thursday night (June 16), and updated rules on engagement with the media.

The operating procedures are a guide for Members’ behavior in office — and state that comments made to media by Board members will “likely be interpreted by the public as an official statement of the Board,” and that all statements (when Members are designated to speak on behalf of the board) must be sent to the Board Chair and Superintendent. The changes now state that School Board Members must now avoid directly communicating with ACPS staff “about Division business”, and clarified language to say that Board members will now receive all written responses to media made by the Alexandria City Public Schools communications team.

News

Vice Mayor derided for saying Council nominee for new committee is ‘anti-police’

By James Cullum

Published June 15, 2022 at 2:15PM

Alexandria City Hall (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria Vice Mayor Amy Jackson took fire from one of her colleagues Tuesday night (June 14) against the appointment of former School Board Member Christopher Lewis to the Alexandria City Public Schools Law Enforcement Partnership (SLEP) Advisory Committee.

Jackson said that Lewis already serves on the city’s Community Policing Review Board and recommended Mike Mackey, the director of the Alexandria Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Service Unit.

News

Mayor Wilson says its time to step back to reassess safety in schools

By James Cullum

Published June 14, 2022 at 3:30PM

The joint Alexandria City Council/School Board meeting in the Board Room of ACPS Central Office on Monday, June 13, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Mayor Justin Wilson says its time to take a step back and reassess Alexandria’s approach to student safety.

In a joint City Council meeting with the School Board on Monday night (June 13), Wilson said that the community needs to be educated on how the city and school system plan to make schools safer.

News

City Council stepping in to prevent youth violence within Alexandria City Public Schools

By James Cullum

Published June 13, 2022 at 3:30PM | Updated June 14, 2022 at 1:18PM

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

In the wake of the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez, the Alexandria City Council is taking an active role in reducing violence in schools, according to a Council memo that will be discussed tonight (June 13).

Up for discussion is the creation of “a citywide, multi-year plan with clear objectives, activities, agency roles and contributions, and performance metrics” by this September, as well as a youth safety and violence prevention summit by the end of July.

News

BREAKING: Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. resigns

By James Cullum

Published June 10, 2022 at 10:10AM | Updated July 29, 2022 at 9:48AM

Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. resigned abruptly on Friday morning (June 10).

Hutchings’ resignation comes after a tumultuous few weeks for the school division, following a closed-door session asking the School Board to not talk with the media and about the fatal stabbing death of a student.