In January, DC Public Schools (DCPS) announced that programming will discontinue at Washington Metropolitan High School.

In order to ensure students smoothly transition to their next school or graduate this year,  DCPS is providing dedicated supports to students and families during this time. In order to keep the Washington Metropolitan community informed on this work, DCPS will post regular updates to the School Planning Blog.

Below is an overview of supports provided to Washington Metropolitan students, families, and staff in March. In light of coronavirus (COVID-19) school closures, you’ll notice some adjustments to the delivery of support, but our commitment to the Washington Met community is stronger than ever during these difficult times.

Student/Family Supports 

• We have been successful in connecting with 129 out of 142 wash Met students about their future choices and continue to make outreach attempts to the remaining families.
• The My School DC lottery closed on March 2 and applications were submitted for 44 students. Students will be informed of their lottery matches on March 27 and will have until May 27 (one month after DCPS buildings are re-opened) to enroll and claim their seat. Supports will be available to ensure students and their families understand the enrollment process. Please note: Students interested in attending their neighborhood school or an Opportunity Academy do not need to secure placement through the lottery.
• Washington Metropolitan students are receiving laptops and work packets to facilitate distance learning.
• Reengagement Specialists are continuing their outreach with students via telephone and other remote means during the school closure period. They are connecting with students around their Distance Learning plans.
• Calls to inform families about the relocation of the special education self-contained programs are underway.
• School Mental Health staff are holding daily office hours and reaching out to their caseload by phone, text, or email.
• The previously scheduled community resource fair events in Wards 7 and 8 for Washington Metropolitan students and their families have been cancelled due to social distancing protocols, but we are working on alternative family outreach strategies.

Staff Supports 

• The Talent Development and Teacher Recruitment and Selection team is working with CSO and WTU members to help them connect with school leaders to conduct Microsoft Team, Zoom, and Skype interviews.
• The Teacher Recruitment and Selection team is also collaborating with the Staffing team to monitor when vacancies go live and maintain accurate records of teachers receiving offers from other schools.

Continuing Supports  

• The District is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 public health crisis and make decisions that are in the best interest of our entire community. Washington Met will continue to receive services through remote means.
• DCPS is offering free meals for any young person under the age of 18 at nearly 40 school sites throughout the city. See the full list of DCPS and public charter school locations at https://coronavirus.dc.gov/food.

At DC Public Schools (DCPS), we are committed to ensuring the well-being of our students. Communicating about issues that impact school communities is important to fostering strong partnerships with families, and we will continue to provide updates around coronavirus (also known as COVID-19).  For the latest updates on where DCPS stands, you can visit our website at https://dcps.dc.gov/coronavirus. Please note the change in spring break week and schedule for distance learning.

Meals for Students

Meals will be available for all students every weekday from Monday, March 16 – Tuesday, March 31 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the following sites:

School Name	Address	Ward
Anacostia High School	1601 16th Street SE	8
Ballou High School	3401 4th Street SE	8
Banneker High School	800 Euclid Street NW	1
Brookland Middle School	1150 Michigan Avenue NE	5
Cardozo Education Campus	1200 Clifton Street NW	1
Columbia Heights Education Campus	3101 16th Street NW	1
Coolidge High School	6315 5th Street NW	4
Eastern High School	1700 East Capitol Street NE	6
Jefferson Middle School	801 7th Street SW	6
McKinley Education Campus	151 T Street NE	5
Woodson High School	540 55th Street NE	7

To learn more about the Mayor’s response, you can visit coronavirus.dc.gov for more information.