Arlington Public Schools | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published February 2, 2021 at 5:00AM | Updated February 2, 2021 at 8:25AM

Snow day in Arlington in January 2021 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Virtual Learning Day for In-Person Students — “Due to inclement weather, tomorrow, Tue, Feb. 2, Level 1 students receiving in-person learning support will temporarily revert to distance learning, and the return date for Level 2 Career & Technical Education students will be Feb. 3, depending on weather.” [Twitter]

Limited Service for ART Buses — “Tuesday, Feb. 2: Due to ongoing inclement weather, ART will operate *Limited* service on Tuesday, February 2. All routes will operate regular weekday schedules, but delays are possible and some routes will detour. Additional alerts will be sent if conditions should change during the day.” [Arlington Transit]

Weather

Arlington Under Winter Weather Advisory Amid Slippery Conditions

By ARLnow.com

Published February 1, 2021 at 10:30AM | Updated February 1, 2021 at 2:15PM

VDOT snow plow spreading salt on N. Glebe Read in 2021 (staff photo)

(Updated at 2:15 p.m.) Freezing temperatures and frozen precipitation overnight has made for slippery conditions around Arlington Monday morning.

With many locals working from home already, traffic around Arlington is light. Thanks to the efforts of snow crews, main roads are mostly wet and side streets have been treated. Few crashes have been reported since sunrise, but that might also be attributable to people staying at home.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 27, 2021 at 7:30AM

Still No Back to School Date Set — From Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán: “Return dates for additional student groups have not been set yet… I am committed to making these transitions as soon as it is safe enough to do so — looking not only at the health metrics, but all available information regarding health and safety, mitigation, instruction and operations — knowing that there are risks in every scenario.” [Arlington Public Schools]

N. Va. Leaders Call for Vaccine Changes — “A coalition of local governments in Northern Virginia is calling on Gov. Ralph Northam to streamline the release of COVID-19 vaccine doses and provide more transparency and equity into the process. The letter signed by 14 local government leaders was sent by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission to Northam on Sunday.” [InsideNova, Twitter]

Schools

JUST IN: Internet Outages Affecting Arlington Public Schools

By ARLnow.com

Published January 26, 2021 at 1:40PM

A widespread East Coast internet outage may cause delays for teachers and students accessing Arlington Public Schools systems during remote learning.

“Some users may be experiencing issues with their internet, or applications such as Canvas, Google Classroom or Teams,” APS spokesman Frank Bellavia tells ARLnow.

Schools

APS Superintendent Releases New COVID-19 Data for In-Person Instruction

By Jo DeVoe

Published January 22, 2021 at 3:45PM

Arlington Public Schools has asked nearly 6% of all staff who have reported in-person for work to stay home temporarily because they tested positive for COVID-19.

Among in-person students, the percentage who have been kept out of school after testing positive is 5%.

Schools

School Board Chair Monique O’Grady to Step Down in December, Says Return to School is Top Priority

By Jo DeVoe

Published January 21, 2021 at 10:40AM | Updated January 21, 2021 at 11:32AM

School Board Chair Monique O’Grady will not be seeking reelection after her term ends this December, according to an announcement on her website.

The chair said on Sunday that she will work for a better future for all students through her term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2021. In her announcement, she said she wrote “with a heavy heart” after “much thought, consultation with my family, and careful consideration.” She declined to comment for this story.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 20, 2021 at 7:30AM

Va. Denied Reimbursement for Riot Response — “The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied requests from Maryland and Virginia for an emergency declaration to cover expenses associated with responding to the Capitol riot and increasing security around President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. FEMA’s decision — which both states plan to appeal — could mean the states would not receive federal funds for providing law enforcement personnel and other support.” [Washington Post]

Barriers Block Bridge — “Gate being put up at the Memorial Bridge. It’s now completely closed until Thursday morning.” [Twitter]

News

County Defends Vaccine Rollout, Amid More APS Employee Complaints

By ARLnow.com

Published January 15, 2021 at 4:45PM

A vial of the COVID-19 vaccine (DoD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

Acknowledging that “many residents are frustrated,” Arlington officials on Friday urged patience with the county’s vaccine distribution, while calling on the state for more doses.

The county has been facing scrutiny for what some see as a slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, despite receiving the first vaccine shipment before Christmas.

News

APS Vaccination Effort Hits Tech Snag

By ARLnow.com

Published January 14, 2021 at 3:15PM

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

Arlington health officials are working to ramp up the pace of vaccinations, but the effort to vaccinate Arlington Public Schools staff has hit a snag.

School staff are set to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as part of Phase 1b of Virginia’s vaccination effort. But in a memo to APS employees this morning, Superintendent Francisco Durán acknowledged “frustration” over “technology issues [staff] encountered with the appointment process.”

Schools

APS Outlines Plan for Staff to Return to Schools, Avoids Specifics for Students

By Jo DeVoe

Published January 8, 2021 at 9:35AM | Updated January 8, 2021 at 10:03AM

Superintendent Francisco Durán at the July 30 School Board meeting (Photo via Arlington Public Schools)

Arlington Public Schools is holding off on announcing future dates for returning students to school.

Sending back students and staff together is unsafe, Superintendent Francisco Durán told the School Board during a meeting on Thursday. For now, APS will focus on its timeline for returning staff to their buildings, he said.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 8, 2021 at 7:30AM

ACPD Warned About Possible IED Threat — “Virginia police are warning officers to be on the lookout for IEDs and disseminated photos of the two found in DC during the Trump mob, per internal bulletin leaked to me.” [Twitter, The Nation]

Beyer Signs On to Impeachment — From Rep. Don Beyer: “I have just signed onto the Articles of impeachment… Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to our country and he has to go immediately. [Twitter]

News

Arlington’s Test Positivity Rate Reaches Double Digits, As APS Mulls Return to Classrooms

By ARLnow.com

Published January 6, 2021 at 10:45AM | Updated January 6, 2021 at 11:25AM

(Updated at 11:25 a.m.) Arlington County’s coronavirus test positivity rate has risen into the double digits.

Just before Christmas, the rate was as low as 6%. As of Wednesday morning it stands at 11.5%, amid a drop in testing, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. That’s still below the statewide positivity rate of 16.7%, however.