School Board

Email: school.board@apsva.us
Website: www.apsva.us
Location: 2110 Washington Boulevard, Arlington, VA, USA
Phone: 703-228-6015
Twitter: @APSVaSchoolBd

The Arlington County School Board voted Thursday night to support the Superintendent’s recommendation to continue the current mask requirement within Arlington Public Schools. APS students and staff wear masks indoors as part of a layered strategy to help prevent COVID-19 transmission in our schools. The Virginia General Assembly adopted Senate Bill 1303 on March 30, 2021, directing school boards to offer and prioritize in-person instruction. It also requires school boards to adhere to mitigation procedures, like mask-wearing, to the extent practicable as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In order to comply with this legislation, masks must be worn by students, staff, and visitors in APS facilities. Federal law requires the use of masks while on school buses.

Information Items
The School Board discussed the following items at its Jan. 20 meeting.

• Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Visioning Process Task Force Recommendations
• Approval to Potential Revisions (if needed) to the 2021-22 School Year Calendar

Monitoring Items

• Virtual Learning Program Update

Action ItemsThe Board approved the following items:

• Final Fiscal Close-Out/Status and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Quarterly Report
• I-7.2.6 English Learner Services

Next School Board Meeting:
The School Board will hold its next regular meeting (2110 Washington Blvd.) on Thu., Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. The agenda will be posted one week before the meeting on BoardDocs.

Masks are required in Board Meetings until further notice.

For More Information:
Community members who want to comment on any items discussed at the School Board meeting should email the Board at school.board@apsva.us or call 703-228-6015. School Board meetings are also broadcast live on Comcast Cable Channel 70 and Verizon Fios Channel 41; live-streamed on the APS website and re-broadcast on Fridays at 9 p.m. and Mondays at 7:30 p.m. immediately following the meeting. All materials and minutes will be posted to the website at www.apsva.us/schoolboard upon School Board approval at a subsequent meeting.

Public Comment on Agenda and Non-Agenda items will be heard at the beginning of the meeting and will be limited to 1 hour.

At each meeting, the Board will hear from a maximum of 30 speakers and each speaker will have up to 2 minutes to comment. All speakers must sign up in advance and indicate whether they want to speak in person or to call into the meeting. A lottery process will continue to be used to select speakers if more requests than available slots are received.

Additional information will be posted at https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/sign-up-to-speak/

Please read Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán's update at

https://www.apsva.us/post/superintendents-jan-19-2022-update-test-to-stay-program-launching/

Masks must be worn by students, staff and visitors in Arlington Public Schools facilities. Federal law requires the use of masks while on school buses. On Thu, Jan. 20, the Arlington School Board voted unanimously to support my recommendation to maintain the current mask requirement within APS. Students and staff are required to wear masks indoors and on buses as part of a layered strategy to help prevent COVID-19 transmission in our schools.

To read more please click on the link: https://www.apsva.us/post/reminder-masks-must-be-worn-by-students-staff-and-visitors-in-aps-facilities-federal-law-requires-the-use-of-masks-while-on-school-buses/

The Schools Boards of Alexandria City, Arlington County, City of Richmond, Fairfax County, Falls Church City, Hampton City, and Prince William County, filed a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of Executive Order 2 issued by the governor on January 15, 2022. The legal action, representing over 350,000 students across the state, defends the right of school boards to enact policy at the local level, including policies that protect the health and well-being of all students and staff.

Visit the APS website for more details.

On Nov. 23, 2021, the President of the Republic of Liberia, acting on the recommendation of the Council (School Board) of the Monrovia Consolidated School System appointed Isaac S. Zawolo as Superintendent. The Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS) provides primary and secondary education to the population of the Monrovia metropolitan area in Liberia.

Zawalo is a beloved 17-year veteran math teacher at the Arlington Career Center (ACC), who helped build the dual enrollment program at ACC which helped to designate it as one of the first Governor’s Career and Technical Academy for the state. This developed a firm foundation for Arlington Tech’s STEM/Early College program. He inspires his students to strive for excellence and realize their greatest potential to make a difference in the lives of others. “He is the heart and soul of ACC and has made us all better by his vision and dedication to make this world a better place. ACC congratulates him on his appointment and has no doubt that he will make a lasting impact on the schools in Liberia,” said Principal Margaret Chung.

To read more click on the link:https://www.apsva.us/post/arlington-career-center-teacher-named-superintendent-of-liberian-school-system/

To nominate a support staff, please click on the link: https://apsva.sharepoint.com/sites/HR-EmployeeRelations/SitePages/Employee-Advisory-Committee-(EAC).aspx

Welcome to APS All Stars!

APS is highlighting five outstanding staff members each month all school year long to recognize the many ways staff make a difference in our community and to highlight their great work.

These individuals demonstrate excellence in collaboration, equity, inclusivity, integrity, innovation, and stewardship. They are the members of your team who are the first to pitch in, who bring a positive attitude to their work, and go above and beyond to support their colleagues, and to serve students and families.

They also embrace the mission and vision of APS to ensure all students learn and thrive in safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments. (Mission)

All employees (of every scale and employee group) are eligible for nomination. These are employees who make a difference and contribute to creating an inclusive, supportive learning community that empowers all students, no matter their role or position. (Vision)

As a token of appreciation, APS All Stars will receive a $75 Amazon gift card (graciously donated by Amazon), a photo opportunity with the superintendent, and a meal on the superintendent with other All-Stars.

Nominate an APS All Star

APS is looking to hire substitute teachers. We encourage families and staff to share this information with anyone who may be interested. Earlier this academic year, APS increased its pay for substitute teachers to ensure its competitive with area school divisions. Applying to become a substitute teacher is easy. Visit the APS website for details and complete an application today!

The APS Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is conducting a family survey to help shape the APS Equity Profile in development. The Equity Profile is an online platform that will highlight trends in the division and school performance to more openly and effectively identify and address equity gaps among various student groups. The profile will be published online and monitored to ensure that gaps in opportunity, access, and achievement are being addressed. Your feedback is important to us. We ask students, staff, and families to complete the survey to help inform us of data that is important to you by Fri, Jan. 28.

For the 2021-2022 school year, the School Board will hold Open Office Hours twice a month on Monday evenings or, due to holidays, Tuesday mornings. Open Office Hours is a forum for Board members to listen to comments and concerns, and to discuss various topics with community members. Each Board member will share what they heard during Open Office Hours with the entire Board and the Superintendent.

Board members will meet individually with participants to ensure everyone has the same opportunity to share their opinions. To participate, individuals must sign up ahead of time using the SignUpGenius link that will be posted on the APS homepage and at https://www.apsva.us/contact-the-school-board/open-office-hours/.

Thank you to everyone who volunteers in our schools. As part of our vaccination requirement for staff, COVID-19 vaccinations are now also required for those who want to volunteer in our schools. For those who were already approved to volunteer, you should have received a notice via email to renew your application and provide verification of your vaccination status. You can fill out the application online and find additional information regarding volunteering on the APS website.

Arlington Public Schools has two testing partners (CIAN Diagnostics and ResourcePath). CIAN Diagnostics (starting January 1, 2022) provides weekly optional surveillance training for students and employees in addition to mandatory testing for employees who have an approved vaccine policy exemption. ResourcePath (starting January 1, 2022) provides daily athletics and activities at the comprehensive high schools, special event drive through, and symptomatic/exposed testing. Additional information is available on the APS website.

Arlington County’s Public Health Division is offering free walk ins and scheduled appointments to individuals 12 and up. View schedule at https://www.arlingtonva.us/covid-19/vaccines/registration/

Please note: Children 17 years and younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to receive their free COVID-19 vaccine.

There are several ways to contact APS for help with your questions or to provide input. Who to call and how to engage depends on what you need.
- NEW Family Information Line (703-228-8000) – APS now has a central Family Information Line to assist families with questions concerning transportation, Virtual Learning Program, registration, Extended Day food services, technology, or general questions. This line is open on school days from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Transportation will take calls from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you call and are sent to voicemail, leave a message and someone will respond to you within 24 hours.
- Engage with APS – engage@apsva.us remains the contact for providing input on current APS initiatives.
- Contact Your School – For specific school-based issues or concerns regarding students, families are encouraged to contact their child’s school directly so the issue can be quickly resolved.
For more information on who to contact, please visit the Contact APS webpage.

Arlington Public Schools does not control the content or relevancy of links to websites that are outside of the Arlington Public Schools network.