More Stories of the Week

More Stories from the Week
- ACPS

School Board Meeting Summary

At its meeting on Dec. 16, the School Board addressed the following topics:

  • Formation of New Advisory Committee for the Spanish, Amharic and Arabic-Speaking Communities
  • Equity Audit Policy Revisions: Student Discipline and Conduct
  • 2022-2024 Academic Calendars
  • Draft 2022-2023 School Board Meeting Calendar
  • Mount Vernon Kitchen Contingency Contract
  • Adoption of FY 2023-2032 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget
  • Douglas MacArthur Project Update
  • 2020-2021 Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) End of Year Report

For School Board meeting agendas and documents, visit Electronic School Board. You can also visit the School Board meeting web page for information on how to view meetings live and participate.

Reminder: Winter Break Meals Pick-up on Dec. 21

Families requesting meals from ACPS over winter break are reminded that the meals can be picked up on Tues., Dec. 21, at Alexandria City High School (ACHS), located at 3330 King Street. Meals will be distributed from 8 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on the east side of the building next to the Chinquapin Park Recreation Center.

Anyone who has previously requested home deliveries (available on a limited basis) will receive student meals between 9 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Tues., Dec. 21. A courtesy phone call will be made to notify families that the driver is on the way. Please meet the driver curbside to pick up the meals; masks are required.

ACPS family members between the ages of two and 18 are eligible for meals from our school division over the winter break. Families can receive four days of breakfast and lunch per child. If you registered for meals and no longer need them, please cancel your order by contacting food@acps.k12.va.us.

Technology Helps to Reduce Local Spread

The Alexandria Health Department (AHD), along with hundreds of other local health departments uses a tool called Sara Alert™ designed in early 2020 to support contact tracing. 

This system enrolls individuals exposed to or infected with COVID-19, which helps AHD to provide guidance about when it is safe to discontinue isolation or quarantine. Once enrolled, individuals enter their symptoms daily via email, text or phone call, providing public health professionals real-time insights into disease spread and allowing AHD staff to quickly follow up with Alexandrians to ensure that they have all of the needed resources. 

Neither the Sara Alert system nor AHD contact tracers will ever ask individuals for social security numbers, bank account or credit card information, passwords or answers to security questions. Sara Alert will only contact enrolled individuals from 844-957-2721 or notifications@saraalert.org. AHD encourages residents to always verify phone numbers and email addresses to confirm that a message is from Sara Alert before responding.

COVID-19 Vaccines Available for 5 to 11-year-olds

Pediatric COVID-19 vaccines are now available for five to 11-year-olds. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, previously approved for everyone over 12 years old, now has a version specifically made for children ages five to 11. 

Parents and guardians have a variety of options to get their children vaccinated including Alexandria Health Department (AHD) vaccine clinics, as well as private providers such as pharmacies and pediatrician’s offices. Pediatric vaccine appointments at AHD clinics will be posted on a rolling basis on alexandriava.gov/Vaccines as supply becomes available. For other vaccine provider locations and availability, visit vaccines.gov.

Minors are not able to consent to immunizations by themselves, so a parent or guardian must consent either in advance or at the vaccination site, depending on the provider. If you have a specific concern about your child, such as previous allergic reactions or adverse side effects caused by a vaccine, contact their doctor or healthcare provider to address your unique situation.

While vaccines are a step to protect all children, ACPS does not require COVID-19 vaccination for five to 11-year-olds. Vaccines also help keep children in school and other activities since vaccinated people do not need to be quarantined if they are in close contact with someone who has COVID-19. This is critical for continued learning and a child’s physical, social, and emotional health. If you have other vaccine questions, contact the AHD COVID-19 Hotline at 703-746-4988.