More than 130 families from the MacArthur Elementary School community delivered a letter to the School Board this week opposing redistricting changes heading to the School Board for a final decision next month.
Keep Students Together, a new group dedicated to the issue, said that the proposals to “split the elementary school community” are speculative and rushed, and will disrupt kids who started their elementary school experiences during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a draft memorandum of understanding between the school system and police, the Alexandria Police Department officers are considered “school officials” with access to the records of Alexandria City Public Schools students.
The School Board is conducting a public hearing on the draft MOU on Tuesday night, May 27. The 40-page document is an update to the two-year agreement between police and ACPS. Once approved, the updated agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027. APD provides school resource officers at Alexandria City High School and the city’s two middle schools.
Facing a $3.25 million budget shortfall, Alexandria City Public Schools is planning on saving a good chunk of it by not giving staff a 1% market rate adjustment.
According to a budget memo, the school board will review the following at a work session tonight (May 15). In the memo, ACPS staff laid out the following budget adjustments before the Board approves the final FY 2026 Combined Funds (Operating, Grants & Special Projects, and School Nutrition Services) Budget:
After coasting through the Planning Commission, plans to modernize George Mason Elementary School are heading to City Council for this Saturday (May 17).
Alexandria City Public Schools is hoping to cut the ribbon on the new two-story building in the summer of 2027. The project will keep the original 1939 building, although ACPS plans to demolish a majority of the existing school and replace it with a two-story structure for a capacity of 670 students and 80 teachers and staff.
Teaching kids is challenging, and on Thursday (May 8) Alexandria City Public Schools named two of its best the principal and teacher of the year.
School Board Chair Michelle Rief and Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt presented the awards to Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School Principal Suzanne M. Hess and James K. Polk Elementary School third-grade teacher Sharon Phox.
What started as a simple policy change has erupted into a full-blown fight over the First Amendment in Alexandria City Public Schools.
Facing backlash from city leaders, the Alexandria School Board officially went back to the drawing board Thursday night (May 8), by announcing that its intended policy changes on the oversight of Alexandria City High School’s student publications have been put on hold. The announcement was made as more than a dozen student journalists held signs and demanded their editorial independence from ACPS administrators. So far, their Voices Unbound plan has the backing of City Council members and Mayor Alyia Gaskins.
After a firestorm of criticism from city leaders and student journalists over proposed oversight changes to Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper, Theogony, this morning (May 2), the Alexandria School Board’s Governance Committee returned to the drawing board.
From reporting on a transportation controversy to investigations into the School Board, transgender policies, or even lampooning metal detectors in cartoons, Theogony student journalists take their roles seriously. Now, with City Council members warning of potential “censorship” and “authoritarian” behavior from the school system, student journalists are alleging a concerted effort from the administration of Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt to suppress touchy or controversial stories from appearing in the monthly publication.
Welcome to Friday’s weekly roundup of our top stories.
With ALXnow, it’s easy to catch up on the latest news in Alexandria. This week, we focused on coverage of our local, state, and federal governments. We also reported a lot of crime, including a homicide in the city’s West End.
The Alexandria City School Board has approved starting the naming process for three school facilities.
At its April 3 meeting, the board approved initiating the naming process for the Early Childhood Center courtyard, Naomi L. Brooks Media Center, and Parker-Gray Stadium field.
What’s in a name? Everything.
The School Board will consider three naming requests for Alexandria City Public Schools facilities at its meeting on Thursday night (April 3). One request is to rename Alexandria City High School’s Parker-Gray Stadium Field after Keith Burns, a 1990 graduate of the school and 13-season NFL linebacker.
On Wednesday morning (March 19), cheering children honored the people who actually make Alexandria run at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School.
The event honoring essential workers marked the culmination of the fourth annual Alexandria City Essential Workers Appreciation Week.
