School leaders are still trying to find out what, if anything, a February letter from a federal agency means for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in Arlington.
A Feb. 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education gave institutions an April 12 deadline to comply with a new interpretation of “nondiscrimination obligations” in order to continue receiving federal funding.
George Mason University’s law school has removed webpages related to diversity, equity and inclusion, sparking student criticism and casting doubt on the future of related programs.
Pages related to Antonin Scalia Law School’s DEI Task Force, DEI Advisory Board and overall approach to diversity have vanished following a Feb. 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education taking aim at such programs.
The Arlington Housing Commission plans to spend the year exploring ways to include more diverse voices in conversations about housing policy.
But trying to get fuller representation of residents of color and those at the lower end of the economic scale will not necessarily be easy, the commission’s chair said.
Arlington leaders long have suspected a demographic disconnect exists between those who serve on advisory bodies and the county’s population at large.
And now they have the data to back it up.
The Arlington School Board has unanimously passed an $826 million budget that, in the view of several board members, fails to accomplish key goals.
“This is a budget of status quos,” Chair Cristina Diaz-Torres said prior to a Thursday vote. “I said this the day that [Superintendent Francisco Durán] announced the budget. This is a budget of maintaining the status quo at a bare minimum.”
A high school student from Arlington was recently awarded a 2024 Princeton Prize in Race Relations for her work in helping to advance racial equity within her school community.
Marlene Reyes, a junior attending Arlington Tech at the Arlington Career Center, is among 28 high school students nationwide recognized by the university for their contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their schools and communities. The prizes are awarded by region.
For the last decade, Arlington Public Schools has tried to increase the time students with disabilities spend with their typically abled peers.
Creating a more inclusive environment can benefit students with disabilities and their peers, according to some studies — though not all — as well as new APS academic data. But it is easier said than done.
The informal, relationships-based advocacy at the core of the “Arlington Way” makes it harder for nonprofits led by and serving people of color to receive county funding, Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol says.
She tells ARLnow these concerns were raised by leaders of color, and she is working on a resolution — that could be voted on by the County Board this month — to change the status quo. The resolution will incorporate recommendations made by a small group of leaders representing local nonprofits.
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Arlington-based CyberVista announced it is providing free cybersecurity training through a new partnership with a D.C. area nonprofit.
APS Appoints New DEI Chief — “The School Board appointed Dr. Jason Ottley as the new Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at its Oct. 28 School Board meeting. Dr. Ottley has been serving as Interim Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer since Sept. 1.” [Arlington Public Schools]
Ed Center Project Taking Longer — “The firm that has been overseeing construction at the former Arlington Education Center will get another funding bump, as the project lingers longer than expected and requires more oversight. School Board members on Oct. 28 were slated to be briefed on the plan to provide another $277,083 to McDonough Bolyard Peck, which is serving as construction manager adviser on the project. Final approval of the funding is slated for November.” [Sun Gazette]
Arlington County could use federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to take a swing at making the “Arlington Way” work for more residents.
From what a development project should look like to where protected bike lanes could go, Arlington often invites residents to have a say in policy-making, a local community engagement philosophy known as the “Arlington Way.”
(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) Arlington has long prided itself on the pathways available to residents to have a say in local policy-making, also known as the “Arlington Way.”
But a growing number of county officials, local leaders and civic groups think the tradition, while noble in aim, doesn’t work for everyone. They say it leans too much on affluent retirees and sabotages the county’s equity efforts.
