Superintendent’s Sept. 8 Update: COVID Testing Begins Next Week

En Español

Dear APS Families,

We look forward to the second week of school and hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend. Here are updates for this week and the month ahead:

• Virtual Learning Program Changes: Yesterday, VLP staff and families received a message informing them of changes in leadership and staffing to address the issues that some VLP students experienced last week. Many students in the program had a successful first week joining their classes and connecting with their teachers and peers; however, that was not the consistent experience across the board. We are taking immediate steps to address the issues and remain committed to providing a positive and engaging experience for all students. To that end, Amy Jackson, Supervisor of Educational Technology & Programs, will lead the program with additional staff support until a new administrator is appointed. We will host a virtual town hall for VLP families this evening at 7 p.m. and have sent the details for the event to those families.
• COVID Testing Starts Next Week: Our no cost COVID testing program will begin at all school locations the week of Sept. 13. To date, nearly 5,000 students and staff have signed up to receive the testing. Due to a nationwide shortage of the rapid antigen nasal swab test, ResourcePath staff will be primarily using a pooled PRC-RT test method to begin with. We are finalizing logistics today for each location and those details will be communicated by your school or work location. Each location will have a dedicated two-hour time block during which ResourcePath staff will administer tests on a weekly basis. Individuals who miss their time window will be eligible to go same day or next day to Kenmore’s dedicated site. Unvaccinated employees must participate in weekly testing. The latest information is available online.
• Schedule Reminders: Tomorrow, Thursday, September 9, is the first School Board meeting of this school year, and I will present the first day of school report as well as a video highlighting first day arrivals. Additionally, elementary back-to-school nights are taking place virtually this week. Key dates below:
  • Back-to-School Nights in September
    • Sept. 9 Thu Elementary School
    • Sept. 14 Tue Middle School
    • Sept. 22 Wed High School
    • Sept. 23 Thu H-B Woodlawn / ACHS
    • Sept. 30 Thu Career Center/ Arlington Tech
  • September Holidays
    • Sept. 16 Thu Holiday – Yom Kippur
    • Sept. 29 Wed Early Release for Elementary/Middle/High School (School-Based PL for Staff)

Thank you for your continued partnership in making this a safe, successful school year for students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Francisco Durán
Superintendent
Arlington Public Schools