Background Materials:

• Youth Issue Brief on Mental, Physical, & Behavioral Health (Youth Needs Assessment, 2024-2025)
• Youth-Informed Barriers to Improvement (Youth Needs Assessment, 2024-2025)

Youth Recommendations

• Youth Recommendations for Improving Youth Mental Health (Civic Action Projects, 2025 & 2026)

Background Materials:

• Youth Issue Brief on Educational Equity (Youth Needs Assessment, 2024-2025)
• Youth-Identified Barriers to Improvement (Youth Needs Assessment, 2024-2025)

Youth Recommendations for Advancing Educational Equity

• Youth Recommendations for Advancing Educational Equity (Civic Action Projects, 2025 & 2026)

Youth Recommendations for Expanding Youth Leadership

• Create more leadership roles and support for Hispanic students across ACPS schools. The student emphasized that Hispanic students feel underrepresented in leadership and want more opportunities to lead and participate in school activities (Source: Hispanic Student Leadership, (2025))
• Launch a Latinx Student Leadership Council (Source: Hispanic Student Leadership, (2025))
• Offer bilingual leadership training at all ACPS schools. This would allow more Hispanic and Latinx students to develop leadership skills in a setting that supports their languages and participation (Source: Hispanic Student Leadership, (2025))
• Hold a Hispanic Youth Conference. The conference could provide a dedicated opportunity for Hispanic students to connect and develop as leaders (Source: Hispanic Student Leadership, (2025))
• Build on existing leadership opportunities for Hispanic students. The report card noted that some schools already have bilingual leadership clubs, youth-led organizing, mentoring, and public-speaking opportunities. The student’s broader recommendation was to create more leadership roles and support across ACPS schools (Source: Hispanic Student Leadership, (2025))
• Work with Casa Chirilagua, Tenants and Workers United, and the ACPS Equity Office to support Hispanic student leadership. The report card identified these organizations and offices as champions for creating more leadership roles and opportunities across schools (Source: Hispanic Student Leadership, (2025))

Student report card informing these recommendations:

• Hispanic Student Leadership and Engagement in Alexandria City Public Schools, student author and year not listed on the report card, (2025)

Youth Recommendations for Preventing and Responding to Youth Substance Use

Prevention, Education & Healthy Alternatives

• Provide honest, ongoing education about substance use and its risks. Students recommended continuing to educate young people about vaping and other drugs, creating clubs, sharing information online, and encouraging students to speak with their peers. They also pointed to videos created by Alexandria students as a useful way to share credible reasons not to vape. Education should clearly explain how substance use can harm physical and mental health, interfere with attendance and learning, affect young people’s future goals, and lead to lasting addiction (Sources: Youth Substance Use by Jasmin and Vanessa (2025); Substance Use by Omar and Emerson (2025); and Drug-Free Schools by Alazar Aweke (2025)).
• Strengthen vaping prevention and respond consistently when vape detectors are activated. One student recommended communicating more clearly about the consequences of vaping during school and giving security staff clear responsibility to respond when bathroom vape detectors go off. The report emphasized that schools must take the lead in preventing vaping during the school day, while parents and community partners can reinforce prevention outside school. The report identified the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria and the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority as organizations that could support education, policy, and community prevention efforts (Sources: What Will It Take to Help Students Prosper by Preventing Students from Using Vapes or Carts During School? by Christian Orrell (2025)). 
• Offer positive alternatives to substance use through sports, recreation, clubs, mentoring, and peer support. Students recommended structured after-school programs that give young people something positive to do, teach life skills and healthier ways to cope, and connect them with peers and role models. They emphasized helping struggling students put their energy into school and activities that support their success, make it across the graduation stage, and create a better life for themselves (Sources: Youth Drug & Substance Abuse (2026); Drug Addiction and Gang Affiliation by Arielle Chavarry-Santana (2026); Youth Substance Use (2025); and Youth Substance Use (2025)).
• Address the pressures and challenges that can lead young people to use substances. One student report identified peer pressure, school stress, mental-health challenges, home environments, easy access to drugs, and boredom as major contributing factors. Students recommended responding with counseling, empathy, positive role models, peer support, life skills, and healthier ways to cope. One student also cautioned that strict rules and consequences alone may push substance use outside school rather than help students stop (Sources: Youth Drug & Substance Abuse (2026); Youth Substance Use (2025); and Drug Addiction and Gang Affiliation by Chavarry-Santana (2026)).

Early Intervention, Treatment & Supportive Relationships

• Make trained substance-use counselors consistently available at every ACHS campus. One student recommended guaranteed referral pathways to DCHS for minors who need additional help. The report card emphasized that access to DCHS rehabilitation for minors can be inconsistent and that too few students currently have access to on-site substance-use counseling (Sources: Youth Drug & Substance Abuse (2026)).
• Create after-school counseling and rehabilitation programs in partnership with ACPS and DCHS. Students recommended school-based and after-school programs that allow young people to receive help while continuing their education. One student proposed structured programs providing counseling, mentoring, and life-skills support for students at risk of substance use, funded and operated through a partnership between ACPS and DCHS (Sources: Youth Drug & Substance Abuse (2026); and Youth Substance Use (2025)).
• Create supportive spaces where students can talk honestly about substance use and ask for help. Students recommended an environment where young people can speak about drug-related problems, receive honest information with empathy, see positive role models, and learn healthier coping mechanisms and lifestyle choices. They also suggested connecting struggling students with peers who have experienced similar challenges (Sources: Youth Substance Use (2025); and Drug Addiction and Gang Affiliation by Arielle Chavarry-Santana (2026)).
• Strengthen peer and intergenerational mentoring for students affected by substance use or gang involvement. One student recommended improving an existing ACHS youth program and involving seniors in advising and encouraging younger students. Students also proposed mentorship within structured after-school programs, clubs, and opportunities to talk with peers who have faced similar challenges (Sources: Drug Addiction and Gang Affiliation by Chavarry-Santana (2026); Youth Drug and Substance Abuse (2026); and Substance Use by Omar and Emerson (2025)). 

Safety, Accountability & Shared Responsibility

• Train all ACHS staff to administer Narcan. Students recommended changing Narcan training from voluntary to mandatory for all staff so both campuses are fully prepared to respond to an overdose. They proposed incorporating the approximately 30-minute course into existing professional-development sessions and ensuring staff know how to access and confidently administer the Narcan already available at ACHS (Sources: Teacher Narcan Training & Accessibility by Wesley O’Connell, Millie Barrientos, and Randy Alverz (2025)). 
• Apply drug and vaping rules consistently, while also helping students change their behavior. Students supported clear school policies and consequences, and one report card specifically noted that the existing code of conduct was not being enforced consistently. At the same time, students cautioned that punishment alone may push substance use outside school without helping young people stop. They recommended pairing clear expectations with counseling, early intervention, youth programs, positive role models, and opportunities that help students cope differently, remain focused on school, and reach graduation (Sources:Youth Drug and Substance Abuse, student author not listed (2026); Drug Addiction and Gang Affiliation by Chavarry-Santana (2026); Drug-Free Schools by Aweke (2025); and Substance Use by Omar and Emerson (2025)).
• Work together across schools, families, health services, and the community. Students identified ACPS administrators and the School Board, DCHS, parents, educators, health professionals, law enforcement, community organizations, and youth-program staff as people who could help prevent substance use and connect students with support. They also named the Teen Wellness Center, Neighborhood Health, the Alexandria Health Department, the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria, and the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority as useful partners or resources for education, screening, counseling, referrals, community outreach, and Narcan access or training (Sources: Youth Drug and Substance Abuse (2026); Teacher Narcan Training & Accessibility by O’Connell, Barrientos, and Alverz (2025); What Will It Take to Help Students Prosper by Preventing Students from Using Vapes or Carts During School? by Orrell (2025); Youth Substance Use (2025); Drug-Free Schools by Aweke (2025); and Drug Addiction and Gang Affiliation by Chavarry-Santana (2026)).

Student report cards informing these recommendations:

• Student report cards informing these recommendations:
• Drug Addiction and Gang Affiliation by Arielle Chavarry-Santana (2026)
• Drug-Free Schools by Alazar Aweke (2025)
• Substance Use by Omar and Emerson (2025)
• Teacher Narcan Training & Accessibility by Wesley O’Connell, Millie Barrientos, and Randy Alverz (2025)
• What Will It Take to Help Students Prosper by Preventing Students from Using Vapes or Carts During School? by Christian Orrell (2025)
• Youth Drug & Substance Abuse (2026)
• Youth Substance Use by Jasmin and Vanessa (2025)

Youth Recommendations for Environmental Protection & Healthy Natural Spaces

Keeping Parks & Waterways Clean

• Organize more cleanups at Four Mile Run. One student recommended creating a group dedicated to cleaning Four Mile Run and continuing to monitor its condition. They emphasized that existing cleanup and restoration efforts are helping somewhat but are not yet enough to address the amount of litter residents see (Source: Four Mile Run Pollution Control by Jeremy Sosa Alvarenga (2026)).
• Add more trash cans and signs at Cameron Run Park. One student recommended making trash cans more available and adding signs reminding visitors to clean up after themselves and properly dispose of their waste. They emphasized that reducing litter would prevent pollution and protect wildlife and their habitats (Source: Pollution in Cameron Run Park by Tanya Ventura Flores (2026)).
• Use stricter rules and stronger consequences for littering at Four Mile Run and Cameron Run Park. Both students believed that people visiting these areas were a major source of litter and pollution. They recommended stronger littering rules and consequences, and one student specifically proposed increasing fines to discourage visitors from leaving trash behind (Source: Four Mile Run Pollution Control by Sosa Alvarenga (2026); and Pollution in Cameron Run Park by Tanya Ventura Flores (2026)).
• Add more trash cans, signs, and public reminders at Four Mile Run and Cameron Run Park. Students recommended making it easier for visitors to dispose of trash and reminding people to clean up after themselves, protect wildlife, and treat parks and streams with care (Source: Four Mile Run Pollution Control by Sosa Alvarenga (2026); and Pollution in Cameron Run Park by Ventura Flores (2026)).
• Reduce pollution runoff and improve water quality at Cameron Run Park. One student called for limiting the pollution entering the park’s water system and reducing litter so fewer water samples contain unsafe levels of bacteria (Source: Pollution in Cameron Run Park by Ventura Flores (2026)).

Protecting the Environment Together

• Protect wildlife and keep parks and waterways safe for recreation. Students emphasized that reducing litter and water pollution would prevent animals from eating harmful trash, protect wildlife habitats, and reduce hazards such as glass and other sharp objects along paths and in public spaces (Source: Four Mile Run Pollution Control by Sosa Alvarenga (2026); and Pollution in Cameron Run Park by Ventura Flores (2026)).
• Work with City and community partners to protect Four Mile Run and Cameron Run Park. Students identified the City of Alexandria, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities, and Four Mile Run Conservancy as groups that could support cleaner, safer parks and waterways. They described possible roles including organizing cleanups, observing and sharing information about environmental conditions, restoring habitat, managing stormwater, and supporting safe recreation (Source: Four Mile Run Pollution Control by Sosa Alvarenga (2026); and Pollution in Cameron Run Park by Ventura Flores (2026)).
• Share updates about cleanup progress and the condition of Four Mile Run. One student identified the City of Alexandria and Four Mile Run Conservancy as groups that could report how much pollution has been removed and provide information about the stream’s condition (Source: Four Mile Run Pollution Control by Sosa Alvarenga (2026)).

Student report cards informing these recommendations: 

• Four Mile Run Pollution Control by Jeremy Sosa Alvarenga (2026)
• Pollution in Cameron Run Park by Tanya Ventura-Flores (2026)

Youth Recommendations for Improving Transportation & Mobility

• Use data and traffic-management tools to reduce congestion and cut-through traffic. One student recommended adaptive traffic signals that respond to changing traffic demand, targeted rush-hour parking restrictions where additional travel lanes are needed, and strategies that reduce the number of vehicles on the road during peak periods. The student emphasized keeping commuter traffic on appropriate routes rather than pushing it onto residential streets where children, pedestrians, and cyclists may be at greater risk (Source: Traffic Congestion, Josette Fogden-Hernandez (2026)).
• Make congested streets and intersections safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Students recommended raised crosswalks, curb extensions, safer separation between vehicles and pedestrians, greater use of public transportation, and continued collection of crash and near-miss data to identify dangerous locations and determine whether safety improvements are working (Source: Traffic Congestion, Fogden-Hernandez (2026)).
• Inspect roads every month so potholes can be found and repaired sooner. One student recommended replacing seasonal checks with monthly inspections because students reported encountering potholes frequently and believed earlier detection would reduce roadway hazards (Source: Potholes by Raymundo Lorenzana (2026)).
• Keep Alex311 available as an easy way for residents to report potholes. One student valued being able to submit a report and photograph and receive an estimated repair timeline. The report emphasized that resident reports help alert the City to hazards that might otherwise remain unnoticed (Source: Potholes by Lorenzana (2026)).
• Repair potholes as quickly as possible and keep roads maintained throughout the year. One student emphasized that potholes should not remain on roads for long because they can damage vehicles and create safety hazards, especially when they are difficult to see at night (Source: Potholes by Lorenzana (2026)).

Student report card informing these recommendations:

• Potholes by Raymundo Lorenzana (2026)
• Traffic Congestion, Josette Fogden-Hernandez (2026)