Arlington Parents Rally for More In Person Days

Arlington parents frustrated by Arlington Public Schools’ unwillingness to add more in-person instructional days this school year will rally ahead of the next school board meeting to let their voices be heard.

When: Thursday, April 22
Time: 530p – 7pm (ahead of the next Arlington County School Board meeting which begins at 7pm)
Where: Outside APS Syphax Building, 2110 Washington Blvd, Arlington, VA 

More than a year later, Arlington Public School students are without full-time in-person instruction.  Arlington is in the clear minority:  more than 2/3 of Virginia districts have returned a substantial portion of their students to full-time in-person instruction;  more than 60% of students nationwide are in classrooms five days a week.   And this week Fairfax County, the state’s largest and Loudoun, its third largest, returned students to more days of in-person instruction.

What about Arlington? Superintendent Francisco Durán says it would be a “monumental logistical challenge” to get our students back in classrooms for more days for the remaining 8 weeks of this school year.    The school board gave a collective shrug to this claim, no vote, no deliberation and no debate.

Eight weeks remain in the school year – that’s almost 20% of the entire school year. If APS can’t return more fully this spring, what will be different in the fall?  And why not give families and staff the confidence about next year by showing them what APS could get done still this year?

Arlington parents want more action from the Arlington School Board and APS leadership and they want more in-person days this school year.