As the COVID-19 pandemic has somewhat subsided, ACHS's free lunch program has ended. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) disbanded the coronavirus relief program in which people ages 2-18 were able to receive free lunch nationally. 

On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, Virginia Senate Bill 739 went into effect in public schools across the state, removing the mask mandate for students. When word spread about the impending removal in late February, students at Alexandria City High School took it upon themselves to organize a demonstration during Lunch and Learn against the bill’s passage and what it means for the future of COVID-19 policy in Virginia. On social media, in the hallways, and around the city, multiple names were given to the event: a walk-out, a protest, a demonstration, civic obedience. To the organizers and attendees, however, it held much more weight than a Canva poster.

In the aftermath of a year of virtual learning, the 2021-2022 school year has swept in an array of change and renewal at Alexandria City High School. In the midst of COVID-19, the student resource officer debate, and a new grading policy, teachers are receiving the brunt of the impact.