Schools | ARLnow.com

ACPD, APS Work on New Agreement As ‘Youth Outreach Unit’ Replaces SROs

Published September 14, 2021 at 3:45PM

Arlington police officer interacts with kids (photo via ACPD)

Arlington Public Schools and the Arlington County Police Department are hashing out their new working relationship following the School Board’s decision to remove School Resource Officers from school grounds.

Rather than place officers in school buildings, ACPD has formed an off-site Youth Outreach Unit tasked with developing engagement opportunities for and building relationships with kids. This summer, the Arlington School Board became the second in the region to remove SROs from school grounds out of concern for racial disparities in juvenile arrests.

Arlington Public Schools’ German Language Program Struggles to Stay Afloat

By Jo DeVoe

Published September 13, 2021 at 3:55PM

Judith Davis speaking at the School Board meeting on Thursday about the German program (via Arlington Public Schools)

Parents and students are once more rallying behind the German language program at Arlington Public Schools, the future of which is unclear.

When students returned to school on Monday, Aug. 30, those enrolled in German 2 and 3 found out they had no in-person teacher. They instead received links to virtual German classes taught by Fuel Ed and Oklahoma State University, respectively, while German I students were told to choose another language, as virtual education would not be conducive for beginning instruction.

APS Hiring a New Diversity Chief and Head of HR

By ARLnow.com

Published September 10, 2021 at 10:05AM

The Arlington Public Schools Syphax Education Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Less than two weeks after announcing to Arlington Public Schools employees that its Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer was on leave, the school system has posted a job listing for the position.

ARLnow first reported that Dr. Arron Gregory was on “approved leave” to start the school year. Newly-hired Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. Jason Ottley is filling in for Gregory on an interim basis, an APS spokesman said.

APS Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer On Leave to Start School Year

By ARLnow.com

Published September 8, 2021 at 11:00AM | Updated September 8, 2021 at 11:23AM

The virtual learning staffing shortfall is not the only issue facing Arlington Public Schools. APS is also starting the school year without its Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer.

Dr. Arron Gregory, who was appointed to the then-newly-created position in December 2019, is currently on “approved leave,” APS spokesman Frank Bellavia confirmed to ARLnow. He has been on leave since at least last week, as the new school year got underway.

Staff Shortages Cause ‘Frustrating and Unacceptable’ Start to New APS Virtual Learning Program

By Jo DeVoe

Published September 7, 2021 at 3:45PM | Updated September 8, 2021 at 9:32AM

Arlington Public Schools headquarters (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated 9:25 a.m. on 9/8/21) The new virtual learning program in Arlington Public Schools, available to anyone uncomfortable with going to school in-person, has gotten off to a rocky start due to severe teacher shortages.

During the first week of school, 340 of the more than 700 students enrolled in the program were assigned subs rather than permanent teachers, and many did not receive class schedules. Instead, many virtual students saw their classes canceled or they were shuffled into multi-grade classes and “virtual waiting rooms” without teachers or monitors.

ACPD Offers Safety Tips As APS Students Head Back to School

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 30, 2021 at 9:00AM | Updated August 30, 2021 at 9:37AM

A crossing guard at an Arlington elementary school (file photo)

The Arlington County Police Department is reminding folks to navigate school zones and bus stops safely as Arlington Public Schools students return to class today.

“More travelers will soon be on our roadways as students begin walking, bicycling, and riding the bus to school when classes resume on Monday,” the department said in a release said. “With a little awareness and prevention, all travelers can arrive at their destinations in a timely and safe manner.”

Learning Gaps, Outdoor Lunch Top of Mind for APS Administrators, Parents

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 27, 2021 at 11:40AM

Standardized testing performance data for the last three available years (via APS)

For the first time since March 2020, most Arlington Public Schools students will be in their classrooms for five days of in-person learning, starting Monday.

Some students will continue at a distance, but overall, the school system says it is focused on three areas this year: accelerated learning, health and safety, and social-emotional learning, according to last night (Thursday’s) School Board meeting.

Parent Group Calls On Arlington Dems To End School Board Caucus

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 25, 2021 at 3:55PM | Updated August 25, 2021 at 5:00PM

The Arlington Public Schools Syphax Education Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A parent group that got its start advocating for a full return to school during the pandemic is calling on the Arlington County Democratic Committee to end its School Board caucus.

Arlington Parents for Education (APE), which has been vocal recently in its criticism of School Board leadership and Arlington Public Schools’ American Rescue Plan spending amid the coronavirus, says the caucus — most recently held in May, to determine who local Democrats endorse in the general election — discourages broad election participation and makes officials beholden to the political party.

Federal Court Rules in Favor of APS in Drawn-Out Education Dispute

By Jo DeVoe

Published July 30, 2021 at 2:15PM | Updated July 30, 2021 at 2:56PM

The Arlington Public Schools Syphax Education Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 2:50 p.m.) A multi-year legal battle between a family and Arlington Public Schools over the appropriateness of their child’s special education support ended this summer with a decision in APS’s favor, handed down by federal court.

While the avenues for dispute resolution dead-end there for the family, the decision provides an insight into how fraught the special education system can be. What is supposed to be a collaborative effort among schools and parents can turn into a grueling legal process if the parents and the school system disagree over aspects of the child’s disability or which setting best meets their needs.

JUST IN: APS Announces Universal Mask Mandate for Return to School

By Jo DeVoe

Published July 30, 2021 at 11:00AM

Arlington Public Schools will require universal masking at the start of the school year, regardless of vaccination status, according to an email to families this morning.

The order applies to all students, staff and visitors inside APS buildings and on school buses, Superintendent Francisco Durán said in the announcement. Masks will not be required when eating or during outside recess, P.E. class, athletics and other outdoor activities.

Divide Over School-Issued Devices Remains After Year of Online Learning

By Anuj Khemka

Published July 29, 2021 at 3:45PM

Arlington Public Schools students learning on their devices while in-person during the pandemic (via APS/X)

Seven years after the initial rollout of Arlington Public Schools’ digital learning initiative, and after a year of heavier use due to distance-learning, opinions on tech in schools remain divided.

For today’s students and parents, virtual learning during the pandemic only highlighted the benefits of and exacerbated the drawbacks to iPads and laptops. Parents say their kids struggle to focus, navigate programs and engage with the material. Students tell ARLnow that the devices can make their learning easier, more efficient and more interesting, but some have also outsmarted controls to watch TV and play games.

APS Encourages More Parents to Enroll As It Prepares for Full-Time In-Person School

By Jo DeVoe

Published July 23, 2021 at 3:35PM

With one month to go before school starts, parents are being urged to enroll their kids in some Arlington public schools amid a continued drop in enrollment.

Screenshots and emails provided to ARLnow indicate some elementary schools, including Discovery and Jamestown, need just a few more kindergarteners before they can officially get one more kindergarten class. The correspondences say the extra class would reduce class sizes and keep teachers at the school they were teaching at last year.