Fights Cause Injuries, Prompt Charges, Shift To Virtual Learning At Alexandria High School

Editor's note: The adult in the social media video mentioned by police was conscious.

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Fights that caused injuries to students and staff Wednesday prompted Alexandria City High School to shift to virtual learning for the rest of the week. That means students will not be back in person until winter break is over. According to Alexandria Police, two students are facing charges, and at least one student was treated for injuries off site.

Alexandria Police's school resource officers responded around noon Wednesday to multiple fights in school hallways and cafeterias at the King Street Campus. Police are investigating a claim of a student being stabbed but have not found evidence that the stabbing occurred.

One injured student left school to be treated at a clinic. Alexandria Police are also looking into a social media video showing an adult woman who fell and remained conscious. The woman refused medical attention and did not file a police report.

Two students are facing a charge of assault and battery.

Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt said the student fights caused the King Street Campus to be put on hold status for much of Wednesday afternoon. As Alexandria City Public Schools officials learned additional fights could be possible, in-person instruction was cancelled on Thursday and Friday. Students are participating in asynchronous learning, with assignments and instructional materials provided online on Canva.

Kay-Wyatt said the behavior of the students was "disheartening and concerning" and thanked staff for the quick response to the fights.

"Although these incidents involved a small number of students, such events are extremely disruptive to the educational environment and interrupt the focus on learning that our students deserve," said Kay-Wyatt.

Police say there is a presence of officers in and around Alexandria City High School and around retail to respond to fights.

"Schools should be safe learning environments for our kids, inciting violence and disorder within a school is unacceptable and will not be tolerated," said Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire. "As a community, we must support our kids by equipping them with the tools and constructive coping mechanisms to process emotions and our school resource officers are key in doing so. I want to thank the school staff and our school resource officers for the work they continue to do to de-escalate situations preemptively."

The school plans to discipline students involved in fights under the student code of conduct. Kay-Wyatt said she, other ACPS officials and high school leaders will be working on additional measures for when students return to school on Jan. 6. Details will be shared on Dec. 20 before winter break begins.

Students will have access to virtual support circles Thursday and Friday to address stress caused by the fights. Students who may need support can also contact CrisisText by texting CONNECT to 85511 or CrisisLink by calling 703-527-4077.

Anyone with information about the fights may contact the Alexandria Police non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Free interpretation and translation services are available by emailing LanguageAccess@alexandriava.gov or calling 703-746-6619.