ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Students are heading back to class in Alexandria Monday. Some students will get to start the school year at the brand new Alexandria High School Minnie Howard campus.
We recently sat down with Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay Wyatt to talk about her top priorities and what parents can expect this school year.
Wyatt is heading inter her second year as superintendent for ACPS. The school district has seen numbers improve around chronic absenteeism, but Wyatt says getting students back into the classroom is still near the top of her list.
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"My overall goal is improving the culture and school experience. That includes academics, it will improve the attendance, and what most importantly it will do, is improve the student engagement. That is nothing but success for us all the way around," Wyatt said.
School safety has also been a major concern for many parents. This year, weapons detectors will be a permanent fixture in all secondary schools. Data from the pilot program showed a more-than-70% decrease in weapons-related incidents.
"It makes me feel like we've made the right decision moving forward. I think when we think about any weapon coming into our building, why would we not want to put every safeguard in place?" Wyatt said.
Cellphones is another big topic for the district. The current policy in place means phones should be off and away during instruction time. That's until the district figures out a plan to adhere to Gov. Glenn Youngkin's executive order asking schools to crack down on cellphone use in class.
"Being a former principal I do know what that means for schools and instruction, and we know we're going to make the right decision for our students," Wyatt said.
Alexandria students recently got a chance to root for one of their own in the Olympics in Paris. Gold medalist Noah Lyles is an Alexandria City High School alum.
"That's like looking in the mirror for some of our students," Wyatt said. "We had a Black male mentoring program in the spring and one of the students asked me if I knew him, have I met him, because they often see him on social media, and said 'Maybe I can go to the Olympics.' We have to support any dreams our students have."