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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt has begun taking on more of her duties but has not returned to work full time, School Board Chair Christopher Harris said Wednesday, six weeks after the division announced she was on leave.
"Dr. Kay-Wyatt has been on leave related to multiple personal matters beginning June 22, 2026," Harris said in a statement provided by the division. He said she had worked to support leadership staff and stay engaged in key division matters beginning in July, and resumed a more active role in school matters beginning Aug. 3.
"She has still not returned on a full-time basis," Harris said, "and Chief of Staff Dr. Grace Taylor continues to operate as the primary superintendent's designee in her absence."
The statement is the division's most detailed public account of the leave since it began, and the first to give a start date for it.
Kay-Wyatt appeared in a group photo from the 2026-27 Superintendent's Leadership Academy that Harris posted on social media Tuesday, writing that a new school year was beginning and that he was grateful to spend time with leaders preparing for the year ahead. The superintendent's official ACPS account posted its own account of the gathering, describing a day of collaboration and learning as school and division leaders prepared for the year.
It is Kay-Wyatt's first public appearance with the division since the leave began. The academy was held Aug. 3 — the date Harris gave for her taking on a more active role.
What was announced in June
Then-Board Chair Dr. Michelle Rief told families and staff on the morning of June 24 that Kay-Wyatt was on leave because of "a matter that arose unexpectedly," said the division would operate without interruption, and asked the community to respect the superintendent's privacy.
At a special meeting the evening before, the board approved three senior administrators to act on the superintendent's behalf: Chief Academic Officer Dr. Pierrette Finney, Chief Accountability Officer Dr. Clinton Page and Taylor. The agenda attributed the recommendation to Kay-Wyatt herself. A state authorization form filed with the appointment allows the three to sign Virginia Department of Education reports, requisitions and other official correspondence in her absence.
Kay-Wyatt's daughter, Temple Hallie Quinn "Punky" Wyatt, died June 20 at age 27, two days before the leave began. Neither ACPS nor Kay-Wyatt has publicly announced the death or connected it to the leave. The Alexandria Brief learned of it independently through a published obituary, which names Kay-Wyatt as her mother, and reported it in June. Harris' statement refers to multiple personal matters and does not specify them.
The Alexandria Brief again extends its condolences to Dr. Kay-Wyatt and her family.
Ryan Belmore
The transition ahead
The board accepted Kay-Wyatt's resignation on March 26, effective Oct. 1. Under that arrangement she was to remain through the start of the 2026-27 school year to support the transition, including the rollout of new school attendance boundaries this fall.
The board is conducting a national search for her permanent successor, with a selection targeted for around Oct. 1 — the same day her departure takes effect.
Harris was elected board chair on July 9, succeeding Rief, who had led the board for three years. He inherits both the leadership transition and the search.
The division has not said whether Kay-Wyatt is expected to return full time before Oct. 1, how duties will be divided between the superintendent and her designees as students return this month, or whether an interim leader will bridge any gap between her departure and a permanent hire.
