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DC students back to school amid crime crackdown
D.C. students returned to school Monday under heightened security measures tied to the city’s ongoing crime crackdown.
WASHINGTON - More than 52,000 students and 4,800 teachers returned to D.C. classrooms Monday, kicking off the new school year amid heightened security and political tension over a federal crime crackdown.
Security concerns
The environment feels different this fall. Some families welcome the increased law enforcement presence, while others worry about unwarranted stops and immigration enforcement.
Mayor Muriel Bowser urged D.C. Public Schools families and staff to leave the politics to her and focus on a positive start to the year.
Recent test scores show students in both public and charter schools are making strong gains in recovering from pandemic learning loss. English proficiency has reached a record 38%, while math scores climbed to 26% — still four points below pre-COVID levels. School leaders credit expanded tutoring, teacher training, and long-term investments for the progress.
"it’s because of the people who live in Washington, D.C. and pay taxes in Washington D.C., that they allow us to make public education the number one thing that we do in this city," Bowser said.
Academic gains
DCPS reports that 94% of its highly effective teachers are returning this year, and graduation rates continue to rise.
Also new this fall, D.C. will implement a systemwide cell phone ban. Under the policy, students must turn off and store their phones during the school day. Chancellor Lewis Ferebee says the move enriches academic, social, and emotional learning.
City officials are reminding students to tap their free ride cards when using public transit and are cautioning about the increased law enforcement and National Guard presence at Metro stations.
The Source: Information in this article comes from previous FOX 5 reporting.