This spring, a community-based survey asked parents of Alexandria City Public Schools students about their impressions of school safety.
The survey, taken before an Alexandria City High School senior was killed at a nearby shopping center, showed real concern about safety in schools, particularly at the Minnie Howard campus of ACPS.
The survey was by Crescere Strategies, LLC, an organization that helps business and nonprofit leaders better align their vision, mission, strategy and operational assets. The owner of the company is an Alexandria resident.
"A group of community members concerned with school safety launched a survey to gauge the communities level of concern and interest in supporting the district in developing a robust safety plan," the survey results explained.
The survey garnered 179 responses from the community between May 3 and May 18, 2022. About 82 percent of respondents identified as ACPS parents.
"Members of the Alexandria Community are concerned about school safety. They are looking for support, answers, and solutions from elected officials, law enforcement professionals, and district and school leaders. The interest in the survey should be a cue to leaders to take the issue seriously and work with community members to address these fundamental concerns," according to the survey's report.
The following are highlights from the survey, which was distributed primarily through social media.
"According to the Community Survey, 43.8 percent of respondents say that fear of physical or psychological harm affects their student's education," the survey indicated.
In addition, the report printed, verbatim, comments provided by survey respondents about specific incidents and concerns.
"There are several themes in the comments, including the need for increased transparency, repeated violence in the schools, regularly bullying, concerns about teachers and school staff safety, and the effects of violence on students' mental health in ACPS," the survey's conclusion noted.
Moving Forward: SLEP Advisory Group and More Planned
Just a few weeks after the survey was taken, ACHS senior Luis Mejia Hernandez was killed in a fight at the Bradlee Shopping Center. The school went mostly-virtual for the remainder of the year.
In mid-June, City Council and the Alexandria City Schools Board had a joint meeting to discuss school safety (among other topics, including capital improvements). A draft memo by Mayor Justin Wilson and Council Member Aliya Gaskins released at that June 13 meeting stated:
“In the aftermath of a spate of recent violence, including the tragic death of Luis Mejia Hernandez on May 24th, it is clear that we must do more to promote youth safety and resilience, prevent youth violence before it occurs, and respond more effectively when we fail to prevent violence. ... In the short-term the Alexandria Police Department will continue its work to investigate recent acts of violence and provide appropriate security interventions to make future acts of violence less likely. To sustainably support the resiliency of our youth and prevent violence, we need to listen as much as we talk.”
The school board and city council are considering launching a 16-person School Law Enforcement Partnership (SLEP) Advisory Group, which could be tasked with discussing the role of school resource officers.
"The mission of the SLEP advisory group is to assist ACPS leadership, the superintendent and the School Board in reimagining the school law enforcement partnership with the Alexandria Police Department in order to ensure a positive, safe and equitable school experience for all students," ACPS officials have explained. School officials are now reviewing applications for that group, which should start meeting later this summer.
