Friday, March 22, 2013
The Douglas MacArthur student was arrested the day after he showed students a toy gun on the school bus.
Alexandria school officials have cleared the record of a Douglas MacArthur Elementary School student who brought a plastic toy gun to school in February, according to the Washington Post. The fifth-grader, age 10, showed the toy gun to students on a school bus on Feb. 4. The family’s lawyer told the Post that the clearance was granted on the basis of a privacy rights violation stemming from when school officials showed a video of the bus ride to other children’s parents. The student’s mother said he was suspended for 10 days with a recommendation for expulsion but missed only six days of class. • See: MacArthur Student Handed Weapons Charge Following Toy Gun Incident Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Morton Sherman later said …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Event will be held Tuesday night at Charles Houston Recreation Center.
The Alexandria Chapter of the NAACP has invited the public to attend a question-and-answer session on Tuesday with Morton Sherman, superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools. The event begins at 7 p.m. and will be held at Charles Houston Recreation Center, located at 905 Wythe St. Branch leadership criticized ACPS for the Feb. 5 arrest of a 10-year-old Douglas MacArthur Elementary School student for an incident involving a toy gun, calling it “senseless” and “insensitive” because “by all accounts, everyone knew” the toy wasn't a weapon. Branch President James Williams and Vice President Jacqueline Johnson said at the time they planned to meet with Sherman to address the incident and how it was handled. The student, who is African …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Commonwealth's Attorney Randy Sengel says the incident can be "best handled" within Alexandria's school system.
The 10-year-old Douglas MacArthur Elementary school student who was arrested Feb. 5 for an incident involving a toy gun on a school bus will not face criminal charges, according to reports from The Alexandria Times and The Washington Post. • See Patch's previous story: MacArthur Student Handed Weapons Charge Following Toy Gun Incident “We did not feel it was appropriate or productive to proceed with criminal prosecution and believe the matter can be best handled administratively within the school system,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Sengel told The Washington Post. The student showed the toy gun to students on a bus ride home from school on Feb. 4. The mother of another student learned of the incident and contacted the school. MacArthur …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Alexandria NAACP branch leadership plans meeting with ACPS officials.
ALEXANDRIA, VA -- The Alexandria branch of the NAACP is criticizing the Feb. 5 arrest of a 10-year-old Douglas MacArthur Elementary School student for an incident involving a toy gun, calling it “senseless” and “insensitive” in a statement sent to Patch Sunday evening because “by all accounts, everyone knew” the toy wasn't a weapon. Branch President James Williams and Vice President Jacqueline Johnson said they plan to meet with Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Morton Sherman to address the incident and how it was handled. The student is African American. • See Patch’s previous coverage on gun laws: Biden in Richmond "We Cannot Remain Silent on Guns" “While we are sensitive to and share in the legitimate safety concerns …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Alexandria City Public Schools will search for a new principal beginning in March.
Douglas MacArthur Elementary School Principal Deborah Z. Thompson has announced she will retire at the end of the current school year. Thompson began her teaching career with Alexandria City Public Schools in 1973. After leaving the division in 1990, she returned and was appointed principal at MacArthur in 1994. “We thank Debbie for her more than 36 years of combined service as a teacher and principal to ACPS,” said schools Superintendent Morton Sherman in a news release. “We appreciate her service and leadership, and we wish her a gratifying retirement.” Thompson wrote, in a letter to her school community, “MacArthur and ACPS will always be in my heart. I will cherish the memories, friendships and hundreds of students.” Her announcement …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Nakicha Gilbert tells The Washington Post she has not received a clear explanation of why police took her son into custody.
Nakicha Gilbert, whose 10-year-old son was charged with brandishing a weapon by Alexandria police earlier this month following an incident involving a toy gun on a school bus, criticized the case’s handling in a story Monday in The Washington Post. “This is how kids get caught up in the system,” Gilbert told the Post, adding that she still has not received a clear explanation of why police were called and why her son was taken into custody. * See Patch's previous story: MacArthur Student Handed Weapons Charge Following Toy Gun Incident According to the report, Gilbert’s son took a toy gun purchased at a dollar store out of his backpack on a bus ride from Douglas MacArthur Elementary School on Feb. 4 and placed it in a pocket in his …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Incident occurred Monday afternoon on bus ride from the elementary school.
The Alexandria Police Department charged a 10-year-old city resident with brandishing a weapon following an incident involving a toy gun Monday afternoon on a bus ride from Douglas MacArthur Elementary School. Alexandria City Public Schools notified police of the incident Tuesday morning. No one was injured in the incident. According to a release from ACPS, the student showed the toy weapon to other students during the bus ride. Police officers went to the elementary school at 1101 Janneys Ln. early Tuesday morning and met with administrators before the student’s arrival. Upon the fifth-grader's entrance into the school, the student was stopped and found to be in possession of a gun in his backpack, according to a release from the …
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1101 Janneys Ln, Alexandria, VA
/articles/macarthur-student-handed-weapons-charge-following-toy-gun-incident
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Edmund Lewis
7:50 pm on Friday, March 22, 2013
So you have the Commonwealth Attorneys office and a judge agreeing that the school system acted inappropriately. Yet Mr.Sherman continues to assure the public that ACPS acted appropriately. Who should the citizens believe? more ›