Dear Neighbor,
As summer days wind down and we look forward to a new school year, I am reminded of the excitement the first day of school brings greeting old friends, meeting new ones, and anticipating all the wonderful things to be learned in the year ahead!
The first day of school is right around the corner on Monday, August 29th. I know our teachers, principals, and administrative staff are excited to welcome students back and are all working hard to make sure school year 2022-2023 is a huge success! The last few years have been especially challenging for students, teachers, and families during the pandemic, so for this newsletter, I want to pass along some important updates and things we can all do to make this a great school year.
School Readiness Tours:
This past week, I toured all Ward 2 DCPS schools to make sure they are ready for the new school year. My priorities on these tours were to ensure that the health and safety of our children in school would be at the highest level possible. I am thrilled to report that our schools are enthusiastically awaiting the first day of school. I will be working on additional security measures for our communities, particularly for those spaces that are open to the public on nights and weekends to make sure the grounds are treated with care and respect. There are still outstanding work orders at schools across the ward and my team is tracking these closely to make sure the orders are addressed quickly. If you are concerned about any maintenance issues at your child’s school, please contact my team as soon as possible.
I am so grateful for our school communities, principals, parents, and staff, who have been the best advocates for our students to make sure that we can all work together in resolving issues. DC Public Schools and the DC Department of General Services have been working around the clock to address as many of these issues as possible and we will continue to follow up with them.
New Ward 2 Principals:
Join me and welcoming Principal Errol Johnson to Hardy Middle School and Principal Veronica Torres to Seaton Elementary School!
Principal Johnson grew up in Brooklyn, New York and earned a degree in Political Science, Mathematics and African American Studies from the in to the University of Rochester and a master’s degree in Special Education from George Mason University. He most recently served as the 9th Grade Academy, Assistant Principal, at Dunbar High School.
Principal Torres is a DC native and DCPS graduate. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from The George Washington University and a Master of Science in Education degree from Johns Hopkins University. Most recently, she served as Assistant Principal at Truesdell Elementary.
Our principals play such an important role in leading our school communities and I look forward to working with Principals Johnson and Torres, as well as all our Ward 2 principals, to support our students and teachers.
Enrollment:
If you have not yet enrolled your child in school, it’s not too late! You can learn more about enrollment here. If you have any questions, please email enroll@k12.dc.gov and copy Ella Hanson on my team at ehanson@dccouncil.us.
Student Vaccinations:
Students must have all of their routine immunizations to attend school. Please find a list of all required immunizations here. All students 12 years and older are required to have received a COVID vaccination. If your child has not yet received a COVID vaccine, you can visit your closest COVID Center.
School Transportation Safety:
Do you have a plan for how your child will get to and from school this year?
- Walking to School: Check out where crossing guards are located in Ward 2 to make sure your child takes the safest path to school. DDOT School Crossing Guard Map
- Metro/Bus: The Kids Ride Free (KRF) program allows students to ride for free on Metrobus, Metrorail, and the DC Circulator while traveling within the District. To be eligible, each student must be:
- A resident of DC, and
- Age 5 through 21, and
- Enrolled in an elementary or secondar public, charter, private or parochial school located within the District, or youth in the care of the District.
SY22-23 KRF cards are assigned to students without KRF cards first and SY21-22 KRF cards remain valid through September 30, 2022. For more information, visit KidsRideFree.dc.gov or call (202) 673-1740.
Making sure our students can get to and from school safely is so important and I’ve co-introduced legislation that will help students and all residents travel safely throughout the District. The Walk Without Worry Amendment Act will standardize the design of raised crosswalks and the Safe Routes to School Act will require safety improvements around schools. Both bills received a hearing this spring, and I will continue to keep you updated on the progress of these bills this fall.
Let’s all have a wonderful and safe school year!
Yours in Service,
Brooke