Superintendent Francisco Durán has laid out a quarter-billion-dollar plan to renovate and expand two middle schools.
Downplaying concerns that the projects could crowd out needed improvements at other buildings, Durán on Thursday night described plans for Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Swanson Middle School. They include the following.
A threat that turned out to not be credible prompted a lockdown at two Arlington schools Friday morning.
It happened shortly before noon at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and nearby Alice West Fleet Elementary, after a caller threatened imminent violence, according to scanner traffic.
A busload of middle schoolers had a rollercoaster of a morning earlier this week after a charter bus took a wrong turn onto a bike path next to Arlington Blvd.
The students from Kenmore Middle School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School were on their way to a music assessment on Tuesday morning when their bus driver, who was trying to follow GPS directions, ended up turning onto a paved pathway that runs alongside Arlington Blvd, police spokesperson Kiyah Daniell told ARLnow.
School Board members have tasked Superintendent Francisco Durán and staff to come back in the spring with options for renovations to two aging middle schools.
Whether there will be enough money in the future to fund major upgrades to Thomas Jefferson and Swanson middle schools remains an open question, but Board members said they are committed to finding ways to make improvements.
The new home of the Arlington Career Center is still on track to be ready for the start of the 2026-27 school year, but the margin of error is getting increasingly narrow.
School Board members are preparing to discuss a staff request to appropriate $670,000 in contingency funds on Thursday, aiming to meet the most recent challenges for the new Grace Hopper Center at 816 S. Walter Reed Drive.
Numerous community members are pressing the Arlington School Board for a firm commitment to either renovating or replacing Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
Teachers, parents and students all pointed to the challenges of the half-century-old building’s narrow halls and limited natural light, which result in what one seventh grader called “a somewhat depressing environment.”
Arlington County police are investigating a robbery and stabbing outside of Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
The incident happened around 11 a.m. Friday behind the school at 125 S. Old Glebe Road.
A middle school student who allegedly brought a BB gun to school is facing a potential weapons charge.
The incident happened Wednesday morning after school administrators found a BB gun and called police.
Arlington County police are investigating whether a student threatened another student with a knife brought into a local middle school.
The alleged incident happened this past Thursday morning at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, at 125 S. Old Glebe Road.
(Updated at 9:45 a.m. on 3/2/23) The man who tried to force his way into a locked-down middle school last June won’t be charged — but this clemency comes with conditions.
Alexander Sentayhu, who was charged with property destruction after he unsuccessfully tried to breach Thomas Jefferson Middle School, was given a deferred disposition rather than a sentence. That means he has a series of conditions to meet in order to have the charge dismissed.
A pair of incidents have prompted police investigations at two Arlington middle schools to start the week.
A student at Thomas Jefferson Middle School allegedly brought a weapon to school on Monday that turned out to be an airsoft gun. Police say they confiscated the airsoft gun and juvenile charges are pending.
(Updated at 3:45 p.m.) Arlington County police blocked of a busy street near elementary and middle schools this morning to arrest a wanted suspect.
The arrest happened on the 3600 block of 2nd Street S., near Alice West Fleet Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School. The street was blocked to traffic at the intersection with S. Glebe Road, next to the 7-Eleven.
