School Board Update
April 20, 2021
Arlington School Board
Email: school.board@apsva.us
Website: www.apsva.us
Location: 2110 Washington Boulevard, Arlington, VA, USA
Phone: 703-228-6015
Twitter: @APSVaSchoolBd
Agenda for the April 22, 2021 School Board Meeting
The agenda for the April 22 School Board Meeting is posted on BoardDocs at:
https://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/vpublic?open. Subject to change.
The regular School Board Meetings will be conducted in-person, with strictly limited attendance. (Work sessions and other meetings will continue to be held virtually.)
Meetings are available for viewing live on the APS website and broadcast on Comcast Cable Channel 70 and Verizon FIOS Channel 41.
A. CLOSED MEETING – If needed
B. REGULAR MEETING OPENING - 7 PM
1. Call to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. CITIZEN COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA AND AGENDA ITEMS:
4. RECOGNITIONS:
Minority Student Achievement Network: Intersectional Social Justice Collaboration
5. Announcements:
- April 26, 2021 Committee of the Whole Meeting, 7 PM
- April 28, 2021, School Board Retreat, 6 PM
- April 29, 2021 Virtual Closed Meeting, 5:15 PM
- May 3, 2021 Virtual School Board Policy Subcommittee Meeting, 2 PM
School Board Budget Calendar (Work sessions begin at 6 PM unless otherwise noted):
- April 29, 2021 Public Hearing on School Board Proposed FY 2022 Budget – 7PM
- May 4, 2021 Budget Work Session #6
- May 6, 2021 Board Action Item - School Board's Adopted FY 2022 Budget
6. Superintendent’s Announcements and Updates
C. CONSENT ITEMS:
1. Minutes:
2. Personnel Actions
3. Revisions to School Board Policies I-1.33 Instruction, I-1.30 Goals, and I-1.31 Goals
4. Revisions to School Board Policy G-1.2 Staff Electronic Technologies Acceptable Use
5. Appointments to Naming Committee for the Key Immersion Program at the ATS Site
6. Grants and Restricted Programs:
a. 845 Grant Special Project Fund: Amazon BHM2021 Donation
D. MONITORING ITEMS:
1. School Year 2020-2021 Update
2. Human Resources Update
3. 2021 Annual Update and 2021 Fall Boundary Process Preview
E. ACTION ITEMS: NONE
F. INFORMATION ITEMS: NONE
G. NEW BUSINESS:
H. ADJOURNMENT
Citizen Comment at School Board Meetings
In order to meet safely, the Board will take all necessary steps to protect the community, staff, and Board members as they conduct public business. This includes adjusting meeting procedures to comply with health and safety guidelines. For the in-person School Board meetings, Public Comment on Agenda and Non-Agenda items will continue to 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. A maximum of 15 speakers will be allowed to comment in person and the remaining slots will be given to call-in speakers. 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.
The Board will continue to refine plans going forward to allow as much public participation in meetings as possible, and appreciates the community’s patience as procedures are adjusted. Additional information will be posted at https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/sign-up-to-speak/
Superintendent's Weekly Update
The Superintendent will provide a School Year 2020-2021 Update as a Monitoring Item at all upcoming School Board meetings. Watch School Board meetings at https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/watch-school-board-meetings/.
APS Celebrates Earth Week
School Resource Officer Work Group Second Community Engagement Session
The APS School Resource Officer (SRO) Work Group will host a second virtual community engagement session on Monday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. The session will be an opportunity for the community to provide feedback and recommendations going forward on the relationship between APS and the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD).
APS is in the process of reviewing the school division’s relationship and operations with SROs, including the review and monitor of the APS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ACPD. In response to concerns expressed at the national and local levels, APS will gather community feedback on the future of this relationship to be shared with the School Board and Superintendent.
This community engagement session will allow students, staff, families, and community members the opportunity to provide their views on SROs in schools to the SRO Work Group before they begin their work to review the current MOU. The SRO Work Group consists of 48 members, including APS students, parents, staff, advisory council representatives, community members, and the Arlington County Police Department.
Individuals interested in providing public comment during the community engagement session should complete the Speaker Request Form by Friday, April 23 at 12 p.m. There will be a maximum of 40 speakers allowed to register for a time limit of two minutes per speaker. Speakers will be able to register until the registration deadline. If the maximum number of speakers is reached before the registration deadline, registration will close when the maximum number of speakers is reached.
Written comments are also able to be submitted by emailing them to engage@apsva.us. All written comments will be shared with all members of the SRO Work Group, but the names and email addresses will not be shared for privacy reasons.
The session will be broadcast live on Livestream the night of the event. Anyone unable to watch the event live will be able to view the event recording after the event concludes.
For additional information on the SRO Work Group, please visit the APS and School Resource Officers section on the Engage webpage.
Understanding the New Virginia Math Pathways Initiative
The Virginia Mathematics Pathways Initiative (VMPI) is a joint initiative among the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). The Initiative supports the Profile of a Virginia Graduate by redefining mathematics pathways for students in the Commonwealth to address the knowledge, skills, experiences, and attributes that students must attain to be successful in college and/or the workforce and to be “life ready.”
Through collaboration with other stakeholders across the Commonwealth, the VMPI state task force will make suggestions for institutional changes that will strengthen the alignment between K-12 and higher education mathematics while ensuring that students are better prepared for college and career success.
The VDOE is inviting families to attend upcoming information sessions to learn more about VMPI. Participation in these sessions will help the VDOE, and ultimately APS, redefine math course options. Tune in to the VDOE YouTube channel at 6:30 p.m. on the dates below to participate:
- Tuesday, April 27 – Essential Concepts in grades 8 – 10
- Tuesday, May 25 – Advanced Pathways in grades 11 – 12
School Board Open Office Hours
The Board recognizes that the open meeting format is no longer a productive medium for participants to share their comments. The Board will modify Open Office Hours to ensure everyone’s opinions and input is respected and everyone is treated with decorum. Information on how to sign up for future Open Office Hours will be sent when plans are finalized.
Upcoming Open Office Hours:
Monday, April 26, 2021 with Cristina Diaz-Torres from 5 to 7 PM (new time)
Tuesday, May 4, 2021 with Barbara Kanninen from 8:30 to 10:30 AM
The schedule for Open Office Hours for the 2020-2021 school year is posted at https://www.apsva.us/contact-the-school-board/open-office-hours/.
Updates for the School Year 2020-2021
APS has the following information available for families:
- The APS COVID-19 webpage has the latest updates and new FAQs about instruction, technology, meals for students, family resources and more.
A Message to the Washington-Liberty Community: https://www.apsva.us/post/a-message-to-the-washington-liberty-community/
APS Student/Family Selection Process Opens for the 2021-22 School Year: https://www.apsva.us/post/aps-student-family-selection-process-opens-for-the-2021-22-school-year/
COVID-19 Testing: https://www.apsva.us/school-year-2020-21/health-safety/covid-19-testing/?utm_source=COVID%20Testing&utm_campaign=f5April16
Class of 2021 Graduation: https://www.apsva.us/school-year-2020-21/class-of-2021-graduation/
Summer School Information: https://www.apsva.us/post/april-16-summer-school-update/
Safety at School: https://www.apsva.us/school-year-2020-21/health-safety/safety-at-school/?utm_source=ventilation&utm_campaign=f5feb26#top
- Project Extra Step Provides Support to Families Experiencing Homelessness: https://www.apsva.us/student-services/homeless/?utm_source=project%20extra%20step&utm_campaign=f5feb12
APS COVID-19 Dashboard: https://www.apsva.us/school-year-2020-21/aps-covid-19-dashboard/?utm_source=APS%20COVID%20Dashboard&utm_campaign=f5oct2
- Need assistance? See who to contact at https://www.apsva.us/post/who-to-contact-for-help/
Questions related to APS and the change in operations due to COVID-19 can be sent to engage@apsva.us