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State reps call on APS to provide stronger labor protections in construction of new Arlington Career Center

Arlington’s state legislators are calling on school officials to provide more labor protections for workers building the multimillion-dollar Arlington Career Center. Sens. Adam Ebbin and Barbara Favola, along with Delegates Patrick Hope, Alfonso Lopez and Adele McClure, sent a letter to the Arlington School Board last month requesting a prevailing wage requirement. This would require

Loudoun to use drug-sniffing dogs in high schools as youth overdoses rise

APS Expands Student Device Program to All Grades

Arlington Public Schools is expanding its "one-to-one" digital device program to students in kindergarten, first grade and second grade. K-2 students will be getting Apple iPads from the school system this fall, helping to assist with remote learning. APS is also buying new iPads and MacBook Air laptops to replace aging devices for older students.

An uptick in paid holidays for 12-month APS employees rankles School Board watchdog and some teachers

There will be several Black History Month events held throughout Arlington this month.

To tackle underage vaping, APS may push law preventing smoke shops near schools

Arlington Public Schools is mulling support for legislation that would allow localities to prevent vape shops from opening up near schools. This is the first time the idea for such a bill has been considered as part of the School Board's annual legislative package, according to Frank Bellavia, a spokesman for the school system. The

APS middle and high schools to beef up security, attendance with e-hall pass system

Next month, Arlington Public Schools is set to roll out a new, electronic campus management platform at a number of middle and high schools. The goal is to improve building security and provide better oversight of students as they come and go from classrooms. Kenmore, Dorothy Hamm, Gunston and Thomas Jefferson middle schools, as well

Covid cases on the rise in Arlington, but so far lower than last year

Don't look now but Covid cases are on the rise in Arlington. As of today, the Virginia Dept. of Health is reporting a seven-day average of just over 21 daily cases in the county. That's the highest point since this past February. Of course, there are some caveats. First, Covid cases are not getting reported

'No students talking to each other': In the US, some schools are banning the use of cellphones

Post-pandemic, the use of cellphones among students had surged, leading to loss of attention and disrupted learning, say teachers.

US schools ban 'rampant' post-pandemic cellphone use

Phones in schools lead to lower academic achievement and more fights, studies find.

Smartphone Use: US schools ban 'rampant' post-pandemic cellphone use, ET Telecom

Smartphone Use: In July, the United Nations education and cultural agency UNESCO made an "urgent call" for stricter guidelines on the use of technology in classrooms, noting in part that "smartphones in schools have ... proven to be a distraction to learning, yet fewer than a quarter of countries ban their use in schools."