Arlington Public Schools | ARLnow.com

Arlington Career Center community to brainstorm names for its new school that represent what goes on inside

Published February 13, 2024 at 10:30AM

Arlington Tech Robotics club adviser Steve Nystrom, works with students on projects (staff photo by Savannah Taffe)

One meeting down and two more to go before recommendations could emerge for a new name to adorn the forthcoming Arlington Career Center building.

Arlington Public Schools last month created a naming committee to discuss potential names for the new building, which will house the Arlington Career Center and the handful of programs within it, including Arlington Tech. As the committee has just starting meeting, no contenders have yet emerged for the building on S. Walter Reed Drive, slated for completion in the fall of 2026.

Schools

The Montessori Public School of Arlington building is showing its age. Should it move to the nearby legacy Career Center site?

By Jo DeVoe

Published February 12, 2024 at 10:30AM | Updated February 12, 2024 at 12:08PM

Montessori Public School of Arlington on opening day in 2019 (file photo)

(Updated at 12 p.m.) An elementary school has become the next flashpoint in discussions of how Arlington Public Schools should use its existing buildings.

Last year, the Nottingham Elementary School community was roiled by a potential plan to close the school and turn the building into a “swing space” to accommodate students whose home schools were under renovation.

Schools

‘My son’s life mattered’ — Arlington advocates demand better after-school programs to fight teen overdoses

By Dan Egitto

Published February 8, 2024 at 3:45PM | Updated April 2, 2024 at 8:58AM

Children advocating for more after-school programs in Arlington (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

(Updated 2/19) Advocates are calling for Arlington County to invest $2 million in additional programs to stop students from dying of drug overdoses.

The mother of an Arlington ninth grader who died of an apparent fentanyl overdose in September joined over 250 others on Wednesday to demand additional funding for free after-school programs. Organizers say a scarcity of accessible, interesting programming makes students more likely to fall into drug addiction.

Schools

An uptick in paid holidays for 12-month APS employees rankles School Board watchdog and some teachers

By Jo DeVoe

Published February 5, 2024 at 2:55PM

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

School Board watchdog group Arlington Parents for Education (APE) is asking the auditor for Arlington Public Schools to dive into the potential impacts of an increase in paid holidays for year-round staff.

Two school years ago, new religious and cultural holidays were added to the calendar and Supt. Francisco Durán announced APS would fully close for winter and spring breaks. APE said in a new letter to the auditor that this decision could cost millions and may hurt morale of 10-month employees, who are not paid for these days off.

News

BREAKING: Police charge fmr. W-L girls basketball coach with sex crimes involving players

By Jo DeVoe

Published January 23, 2024 at 6:45PM

George Porcha (courtesy ACPD)

Arlington police have charged a former Washington-Liberty High School basketball coach with sexual offenses and are seeking possible additional victims.

George Porcha, 53, of Winterville, North Carolina, is charged with carnal knowledge of a minor and taking indecent liberties with children, per an Arlington County Police Department press release sent out this evening (Tuesday).

Schools

Arlington students are now eligible for free Metrobus rides

By Savannah Taffe

Published January 23, 2024 at 1:30PM | Updated January 23, 2024 at 3:38PM

An ART bus and driver (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 3:20 p.m.) Starting this month, Arlington students can now get free Metrobus rides throughout Arlington.

This builds on a program in place since 2022 allowing students with iRide SmarTrip card to ride Arlington Transit (ART) buses for free. Students who live in Arlington and are enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade can obtain these cards from Commuter Stores in Arlington or, if they are APS students, through their schools.

Schools

JUST iN: School cancelled Friday due to snow, APS announces

By ARLnow.com

Published January 18, 2024 at 6:00PM

Snow at Swanson Middle School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington Public Schools has preemptively given students a snow day and an effective three day weekend due to expected accumulating snowfall tomorrow.

APS made the announcement just before 6 p.m., with several inches of snow in the forecast for Friday. Neighboring Alexandria and Fairfax County also announced Friday closures.

Schools

JUST IN: Arlington schools to open after two-hour delay Wednesday

By ARLnow.com

Published January 16, 2024 at 6:15PM

Yorktown High School in the snow (file photo)

After a snow day today, Arlington students will be going back to school on Wednesday — but on a two-hour delay.

Arlington Public Schools made the following announcement at 6 p.m.

Schools

NEW: Tuesday is a snow day for Arlington Public Schools

By ARLnow.com

Published January 15, 2024 at 7:00PM | Updated January 16, 2024 at 12:05AM

An Arlington Public Schools employee clears snow from in front of Barrett Elementary School in 2015 (file photo)

(Updated at midnight) There will be no classes for Arlington Public Schools students Tuesday.

The snow day means at least a four-day weekend for students, when combined with today’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. APS made the announcement around 6 p.m.

Schools

NEW: APS warns of data breach from visitor management system

By Jo DeVoe

Published January 12, 2024 at 3:20PM | Updated January 12, 2024 at 4:56PM

Person working on laptop (Photo by Burst on Unsplash)

(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) Arlington Public Schools experienced a data breach this week affecting information it collects for visitors to school buildings.

The school system notified people of “externally exposed” data in a message sent this afternoon (Friday). The breach is part of a broader leak, reported this morning, affecting some schools in the U.S. that, like APS, use a visitor management system from Raptor Technologies.

Schools

APS poised to add Walter Reed Drive road upgrades to Career Center project

By James Jarvis

Published December 20, 2023 at 11:30AM | Updated December 21, 2023 at 7:46AM

Corner of S. Walter Reed and 8th Street facing future Career Center building (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Arlington Public Schools is poised to tie planned S. Walter Reed Drive upgrades into its $180 million Arlington Career Center project.

This past Saturday, the Arlington County Board approved a memorandum of agreement permitting APS to appoint the same contractor for the Career Center’s construction to handle the road improvements — part of the county’s Neighborhood Complete Streets program — from 5th Street S. to Columbia Pike.

Schools

Prosecutors dismiss charges against former Arlington teachers union president, for now

By Jo DeVoe

Published November 28, 2023 at 11:30AM

Former Arlington Education Association President Ingrid Gant delivered remarks during a press conference in September 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Fairfax County prosecutors are taking a step back from pursuing the embezzlement charges levied against former Arlington teachers union president, Ingrid Gant.

That decision, however, does not mean the case against Gant — who was ousted in the spring of 2022 after a 6-year tenure — is closed. The Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney says Gant’s case is serious and they are keeping their options open.