Alexandria's Superintendent, Dr. Morton Sherman. (Photo: James Cullum)
Dr. Morton Sherman, superintendent of the Alexandria City school system, detailed the schedule for the week ahead for students in a letter to the school community today. ACPS students have missed six days of school because of the two most recent February schools.
“The plan right now (if the weather cooperates) is to open Tuesday with a two-hour delay for grades preK-5 and a two-hour-and-15-minute delay for grades 6-12. In order for this to happen safely and successfully, we need your help.
“On Monday, Feb. 15:
- At the elementary schools, we are asking volunteers to come to the schools between 10 a.m. and noon to help shovel. Please contact the elementary school principals by e-mail if you need more information about shoveling, and also if you can volunteer to help with communications (phone calls, delivering fliers, etc.)
- For the secondary schools, volunteers are asked to shovel bus stops and sidewalks in their neighborhoods.
- For both elementary and secondary, the City is working to clear primary walking routes to schools to create “super sidewalks.” We’ll need your help to clear paths in your neighborhoods to these main walking routes.
- Bus drivers will be conducting test runs, which may cause some confusion for people who see the busses on the streets. Schools are not open on Monday.
“Tuesday, Feb. 16 and Wednesday, Feb. 17:
- We may need to consolidate some bus stops. By late Monday afternoon, we will provide information about any alternate bus stops through e-mail, our Web site, and other communication vehicles. Please stay tuned.
- The Alexandria Police Department and Sheriff’s Office will provide a minimum of two officers at each school for about two hours in the mornings and two hours in the afternoons to help direct traffic and maintain safety.
- Parents who usually drive their children to school are asked to walk instead if possible. We need to minimize the number of cars driving near school entrances.
- School hours will be 10 a.m. – 2:35 p.m. for elementary schools (10:10 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. for Douglas MacArthur). For grades 6-12, school hours will be 10:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Minnie Howard students who attend the T.C. King Street campus in the mornings will not go to T.C. Those students should report directly to the Minnie Howard campus.
- All afternoon and evening activities will be cancelled,” Sherman’s letter said.