Changes to the Fall 2021 Boundary Process

At last night’s School Board Work Session on the Fall 2021 Boundary Process, Superintendent Durán recommended pausing the proposed Abingdon to Drew boundary changes while moving forward with the middle school and high school boundary proposals. Currently, enrollment levels at Abington are manageable, so enrollment will be assessed again next year to determine if a boundary process is needed.

Taking a pause for the elementary school level allows staff to review the planning units assigned to Abingdon and Drew comprehensively with all other schools as part of a broader elementary boundary process, versus only considering two elementary schools in isolation.

As a part of this process, staff reassessed current enrollment for Abingdon, which has decreased this school year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Abingdon is not currently over capacity, providing staff more time to include it as part of a comprehensive elementary school boundary plan in the future.

The next step in the process is when the Superintendent presents his Fall 2021 Boundary Process Proposal as an information item at the November 16 School Board Meeting. Watch the work session or view the presentation online. Information on the boundary proposals and FAQs are available on the Fall 2021 Boundary Process webpage.

APS & ACPD Memorandum of Understanding Development Process

APS is currently reviewing and updating the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Arlington County Police Department. The purpose of the MOU Development Process is to redefine and reimagine the relationship between APS and ACPD. The new MOU is currently being developed based on the recommendations from the SRO Work Group this past spring. On Monday, November 8, the final draft of the MOU will be posted online for public comment before it is finalized and shared with the School Board for approval.

The following is the MOU Development Process Timeline:

• The MOU development work began on August 30​, 2021
• The final draft of the MOU will be posted for review on November 8, 2021.
• The community will have a 15-day public comment period until Nov. 23 to provide feedback on the final draft of the MOU.
• The final version of the MOU will be presented as a monitoring item at the December 2, 2021 School Board Meeting.

For additional information on the MOU Development Process and to access the MOU for public comment once it is available, please visit the APS and School Resource Officers section on the Engage webpage.

Engage with APS! Message Archive

APS sends the “Engage Update” via APS School Talk each Thursday to update the community on initiatives and opportunities for involvement and feedback. The community is now able to read all messages for the 2021-22 school year in the online archive. As messages are shared with the community, they are posted in the archive for review. The online archive also provides the functionality to read the weekly message in multiple languages by selecting the option to change the language in the upper left-hand corner of the website. View the Engage with APS! message archive.

Share Your Comments on Draft School Board Policies

Review and comment on draft APS policies that are available for public comment on the APS Engage website. Comments can be provided by December 2, 2021, on the following draft policy:

• B-3.6.30 School Board Advisory Committees

 Upcoming Events:

• November 9 – School Board Work Session #1 with the Advisory Council on Teaching and Learning (ACTL)
• November 16 – School Board Meeting

Join the School Board Meeting Tonight at 7 p.m.

At tonight’s School Board Meeting, the School Board will take action on the School Board Direction on the Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2023-32 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and the Amazon AWS Think Big Space at Wakefield High School. The Education Center Reuse Change Construction Manager Advisor Contract will be presented as an information item and the Operation Efficiencies Update will be presented as a monitoring item. The full agenda is available online. School Board meetings can be viewed live online, on Comcast Cable Channel 70, or Verizon FiOS Channel 41. 

Fall 2021 Boundary Process Update

The Fall 2021 Boundary Process is limited in scope and is focused on boundary refinements to provide enrollment relief to three schools for the 2022-23 school year. The three schools that will receive relief from the boundary refinements are Abingdon Elementary School, Gunston Middle School, and Wakefield High School. The boundary process will bring enrollment at these three schools to more manageable levels for the 2022-23 school year by reassigning some planning units from Abingdon to Dr. Charles R. Drew, Gunston to Jefferson, and Wakefield to Washington-Liberty.

The community is invited to provide feedback on the boundary process by emailing engage@apsva.us. All emails sent to Engage with APS! are shared with staff for review and consideration. The feedback received from the community will be used to refine the proposals presented to the School Board at the work session on November 3. The School Board will have a public hearing on the Fall 2021 Boundary Process on November 30 and will act on the Superintendent’s Proposed Boundary Adjustments for the 2022-23 School Year at the Dec. 2, 2021 meeting.

The recordings and presentations from the Fall 2021 Boundary Process Community Meetings are currently available online. Information on the proposals and FAQs are available on the Fall 2021 Boundary Process webpage.

APS & ACPD Memorandum of Understanding Development Process

APS is currently reviewing and updating the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Arlington County Police Department. The purpose of the MOU Development Process is to redefine and reimagine the relationship between APS and ACPD. The new MOU is currently being developed based on the recommendations from the SRO Work Group this past spring. Ultimately, the completed MOU will clearly define the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of both APS and ACPD. The date the final draft of the MOU will be posted online for review has changed to Monday, November 8, 2021. The date was changed due to the focus groups being rescheduled and the survey deadline being extended. This change allows the feedback provided by the community to be incorporated into the MOU before it is shared with the community for public comment. The following is the MOU Development Process Timeline:

• The MOU development work began on August 30​, 2021
• The final draft of the MOU will be posted for review on November 8, 2021.
• The community will have a 15-day public comment period until Nov. 23 to provide feedback on the final draft of the MOU.
• The final version of the MOU will be presented as a monitoring item at the December 2, 2021 School Board Meeting.

For additional information on the MOU Development Process, please visit the APS and School Resource Officers section on the Engage webpage.

Dual Language Immersion Program Elementary Feeder School Structure Review Process

The Elementary Feeder School Structure Committee is currently reviewing the elementary immersion feeder schools that have been in place since Claremont Elementary School opened in 2003. In fall 2021, Escuela Key opened in its new location, inside the Ashlawn Elementary School boundary. Staff proposed making minimal changes to the Immersion Elementary feeder structure for 2021-22 given the impact of the pandemic on families and to allow time for the Dual Language Immersion Visioning Task Force leading the immersion visioning process to provide a recommendation on the program model.

Currently, the Immersion Elementary Feeder School Structure Committee is gathering feedback from the community as they prepare their final recommendation​. The recommendation from the committee will be considered by a cross-departmental team of APS Central Office staff, who will make a recommendation to the Superintendent. Staff will present the proposal at the School Board Work Session on November 3, 2021 and the discussion will help shape the Superintendent’s final proposal. The timeline and additional information on the process is available online.

2022-23 School Year Calendar Survey Reminder

APS is seeking input from students, staff, families, and community members related to the development of the 2022-23 School Year Calendar. The calendar survey is available to be completed online until tomorrow, Oct. 29, 2021. There are two calendar options available for the community to review. Both calendar options have a school start date prior to Labor Day and include a two-week winter break. The School Board is tentatively scheduled to act on the 2022-23 School Year Calendar at the December 16, 2021 School Board Meeting. For additional information on the 2022-23 School year Calendar or to complete the calendar survey, visit the Development of the 2022-23 School Year Calendar webpage.

Upcoming Events:

• October 28 – School Board Meeting
• November 1 – High School Information Night (Virtual)
• November 3 – School Board Work Session on the Proposed Boundary Adjustments for the 2022-23 School Year

Fall 2021 Boundary Process Community Engagement

Community engagement for the Fall 2021 Boundary Process is currently ongoing. The community is able to provide feedback on the boundary proposals and learn more about the boundary process during the scheduled community meetings. The community will also have the opportunity to engage directly with staff during the two upcoming virtual office hours engagement sessions to understand the rationale behind the boundary proposals and to share feedback.

The Fall 2021 Boundary Process is limited in scope and is focused on boundary refinements to provide enrollment relief to three schools for the 2022-23 school year. The three schools that will receive relief from the boundary refinements are Abingdon Elementary School, Gunston Middle School, and Wakefield High School. The boundary process will bring enrollment at these three schools to more manageable levels for the 2022-23 school year by reassigning some planning units from Abingdon to Dr. Charles R. Drew, Gunston to Jefferson, and Wakefield to Washington-Liberty.

The community is encouraged to participate in one of the scheduled community engagement sessions to provide feedback on the boundary process or by emailing engage@apsva.us. All emails sent to Engage with APS! regarding the boundary process are shared with staff for review and consideration. The feedback received from the community during the community engagement window will be used to refine the proposals presented to the School Board at the work session on November 3. The School Board will have a public hearing on the Fall 2021 Boundary Process on November 30 and will act on the Superintendent’s Proposed Boundary Adjustments for the 2022-23 School Year at the Dec. 2, 2021 meeting.

The recordings and presentations from previous Fall 2021 Boundary Process Community Meetings are currently available online. Information on the proposals and the community engagement schedule are available on the Fall 2021 Boundary Process webpage.

2022-23 School Year Calendar Survey

APS is seeking input from students, staff, families, and community members related to the development of the 2022-23 School Year Calendar. The calendar survey is available to be completed online now until Friday, Oct, 29, 2021. There are two calendar options available for the community to review. Both calendar options have a school start date prior to Labor Day and include a two-week winter break. The School Board is tentatively scheduled to act on the 2022-23 School Year Calendar at the December 16, 2021 School Board Meeting. For additional information on the 2022-23 School Year Calendar or to complete the calendar survey, visit the Development of the 2022-23 School Year Calendar webpage.

Upcoming Events:

• October 21 – Boundary Process Virtual Community Meeting #4
• October 25 – Middle School Information Night (Virtual)
• October 26 – Boundary Process Virtual Open Office Hours #1
• October 28 – Boundary Process Virtual Open Office Hours #2
• October 28 – School Board Meeting
• November 1 – High School Information Night (Virtual)
• November 3 – School Board Work Session on the Proposed Boundary Adjustments for the 2022-23 School Year

Join the School Board Meeting Tonight at 7 p.m.

At tonight’s School Board Meeting, the School Board will take action on the Internal Audit Plan, School Board FY2023 Budget Direction, and the Heights Building Phase 2 Architecture and Engineering Services. The Amazon “Think Big Space” at Wakefield High School and School Board Direction on the Superintendent’s Proposed FY2023-32 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) will be presented as information items. The APS Responses to Student Behaviors and Virtual Learning Program (VLP) Update will be presented as monitoring items. The full agenda is available online. School Board meetings can be viewed live online, on Comcast Cable Channel 70, or Verizon FiOS Channel 41.

Fall 2021 Boundary Process Community Engagement

The fall 2021 boundary process will be limited in scope and focused on refinements to provide enrollment relief to three schools for the 2022-23 school year. The three schools that will receive relief from the boundary refinements are Abingdon Elementary School, Gunston Middle School, and Wakefield High School. The boundary process will bring enrollment at these three schools to more manageable levels for the 2022-23 school year by reassigning some planning units from Abingdon to Dr. Charles R. Drew, Gunston to Jefferson, and Wakefield to Washington-Liberty.

Community engagement for the fall 2021 boundary process begins this week and will continue through Oct. 31. During the community engagement sessions, families can learn about the proposed changes and ask questions. Staff will engage directly with the families affected by the boundary process to ensure they are aware of the proposals for the upcoming boundary process and to gather information to aid in the planning process. Staff will directly notify families at the schools included in the process tomorrow, Oct. 15 The School Board will act on the Superintendent’s Proposal for Boundary Adjustment for the 2022-23 School Year at the Dec. 2, 2021 meeting.

Information on the proposals and the community engagement schedule are available on the Fall 2021 Boundary Process webpage.

Upcoming Events:

• October 14 – School Board Meeting
• October 16 – Boundary Process Virtual Community Meeting #1
• October 19 – Boundary Process Virtual Community Meeting #2
• October 19 – School Board Work Session on Homework and Communication of Student Progress
• October 19 – Boundary Process Virtual Community Meeting #3 (Spanish Only)
• October 25 – Middle School Information Night (Virtual)

Fall 2021 Boundary Process Engagement

APS is currently preparing for the fall 2021 boundary process that will be limited in scope and focused on refinements to provide enrollment relief to three schools for the 2022-23 school year. The three schools that will receive relief from the boundary refinements are Abingdon Elementary School, Gunston Middle School, and Wakefield High School. The boundary process will bring enrollment at these three schools to more manageable levels for the 2022-23 school year by reassigning some planning units to neighboring schools with capacity to accommodate additional students.

Community engagement will take place from Oct. 15 to 31. Families can learn about the proposed changes and ask questions during the community engagement sessions. Staff will engage directly with the families affected by the boundary process  to ensure they are aware of the proposals for the 2022-23 school year, and to gather information to aid in the planning process. The School Board will act on the Superintendent’s Proposal for Boundary Adjustment for the 2022-23 School Year at the Dec. 2, 2021 meeting.

Information on the proposals and the community engagement schedule are available on the Fall 2021 Boundary Process webpage.

Final Reminder: Provide Feedback on the Relationship Between APS & ACPD

The community is encouraged to provide feedback on the relationship between APS and the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) that will be used to develop the updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The community is able to provide feedback by completing the community questionnaire currently available online. The final draft of the MOU will be posted for review on Nov. 1, 2021 and there will be a 15-day public comment period for community feedback. To complete the community questionnaire, visit the APS and School Resource Officers Engage webpage.

Upcoming Events:

• October 14 – School Board Meeting
• October 16 – Boundary Process Virtual Community Meeting #1

Join the School Board Meeting Tonight at 7 p.m.

At tonight’s School Board Meeting, the School Board will take action on School Board Policy J-13 Physical Interventions for Students in Crisis. The 2021-22 Internal Audit Annual Plan and School Board FY 2023 Budget Direction will be presented as information items and the Mathematics Update will be presented as a monitoring item. The full agenda is available online. School Board meetings can be viewed live online, on Comcast Cable Channel 70, or Verizon FiOS Channel 41.

Provide Feedback on the Relationship Between APS & ACPD

The community is encouraged to provide feedback on the relationship between APS and the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) that will be used to develop the updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Participate in a community focus group on October 20 and complete the community questionnaire available online now through October 20. The focus group will allow the community to provide feedback on how SROs were previously utilized in schools and how they will support schools in the future. The community can also complete the questionnaire to provide feedback that will inform the development of the MOU. To participate in the focus group or to complete the questionnaire, visit the APS and School Resource Officers Engage page. 

How to Contact APS

There are several ways to contact APS to have questions answered or to provide input on key initiatives.

• Family Information Line (703-228-8000) – At the start of the school year, APS launched the Family Information Line to assist the community with providing prompt responses to their questions. The Family Information Line allows the community to contact APS by phone with questions concerning transportation, technology, Virtual Learning Program (VLP), registration, food services, extended day or general questions.
• 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.

Please visit the Contact APS Engage webpage for information on who to contact within APS.

Provide Input on the Development of the APS & ACPD Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

In June, the School Board voted to no longer have a daily SRO presence in schools. Follow up work is underway to update the MOU that defines the relationship between APS and the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) to ensure continued school safety. A final draft of the MOU will be available for the community to review on Nov. 1, 2021.  The community will have a 15-day public comment period to provide feedback.

How You Can Provide Input:

The community can provide feedback by participating in a community focus group on October 20, and by completing a community questionnaire available now through October 20. The focus group will provide feedback on how SROs were previously utilized in schools and how they will support schools in the future. The community can also complete the questionnaire to provide feedback that will inform the development of the MOU. To participate in the focus group or to complete the questionnaire, visit the APS and School Resource Officers Engage page.

How to Contact APS Upcoming Events:

There are several ways to contact APS to have questions answered or to provide input on key initiatives.

• Family Information Line (703-228-8000) – At the start of the school year, APS launched the Family Information Line to assist the community with providing prompt responses to their questions. The Family Information Line allows the community to contact APS by phone with questions concerning transportation, technology, Virtual Learning Program, registration, food services, extended day or general questions.
• 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 other concerns or feedback, please visit the Contact APS Engage webpage for information on who to contact within APS.

Upcoming Events:

• 30 – School Board Meeting

Join the School Board Meeting Tonight at 7 p.m.

The Superintendent will present the Start of School Update tonight as a monitoring item. The Start of School Update includes the number of students enrolled at APS on the first day of school, the first day video, and other highlights from the start of the 2021-22 school year. The School Board will act on their 2021-22 school year priorities. New School Board Policy J-13 Physical Interventions for Students in Crisis will be presented as an information item. The full agenda for tonight’s meeting is available online. School Board meetings can be viewed live online and on Comcast Cable Channel 70 or Verizon FiOS Channel 41.

Fall 2021 Planning Projects Overview

At the August 26 School Board Meeting staff presented an overview of the fall 2021 planning projects. Information was shared regarding the levels of community engagement to frame expectations for how APS will engage with the community for upcoming planning projects. A project overview and timeline was provided for the following projects: the APS & ACPD Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Fall Boundary Adjustments, Elementary Immersion Feeder School Adjustments, the Plan for the Redevelopment of the Arlington Career Center Site, the Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2023 Budget, and the Proposed FY 2023-32 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). View the Fall 2021 Planning Projects Overview presentation or watch the video of this monitoring item. For additional information regarding any of these projects, visit the Engage website.