Karina Elwood

Washington, D.C.

Local reporter covering schools in Virginia

Education: University of Florida, BS in journalism

Karina Elwood joined the Post in 2021 on the local politics and government team. She previously reported at the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun Sentinel and Orlando Sentinel.
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Latest from Karina Elwood

Enrollment relatively flat in some D.C.-area school districts, data shows

Enrollment numbers in D.C. area suburban schools remained steady this fall, reflecting a slow recovery from pandemic losses.

October 12, 2024
Students arrive at Patrick Henry K-8 School in Alexandria for the first day of school on Aug. 19.

Another Va. district will allow students to carry overdose-reversing drug

Students in Loudoun County will now be allowed to carry naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of opioids, on school grounds.

October 9, 2024
Loudoun County will now allow older students to carry naloxone, a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)

People across the DMV mourn, pray and rally on Oct. 7 anniversary

Events are planned across the D.C. region to mark the first anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that prompted a devastating military response.

October 7, 2024
People pray during the Remember October 7th Rally on Monday at the National Mall in Washington.

This county’s newest food critics: Its students

Loudoun County students became food critics at a school lunch food show, sampling diverse recipes and providing feedback.

October 7, 2024

Virginia sees slight drop in fully accredited schools

Gov. Glenn Youngkin repeated concerns that the current metric doesn’t accurately reflect performance. A new system is coming next year.

October 1, 2024
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) in 2023.

Va. school board settles with teacher fired for not using student’s pronouns

A Virginia school board agreed to pay a former teacher more than $500,000 after he was fired for declining to use the pronouns of a transgender student in 2018.

October 1, 2024
Peter Vlaming, a West Point Virginia high school teacher, outside the Supreme Court of Virginia in Richmond on Nov. 4, 2022.

Alexandria school closed due to lead exposure

Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School in Alexandria is temporarily closed for cleaning after lead was detected in the building.

September 30, 2024
A school bus in Alexandria, Va., in August 2023. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)

D.C.-area schools see rise in threats of violence, officials say

Following school shootings in Georgia, D.C. area schools experienced a surge in violent threats, leading to heightened law enforcement presence.

September 28, 2024
School resource officers walk outside Alexandria City High School, which was temporarily put on a “hold status” this month after a threat against the school.

Virginia Democrats introduce bill to restrict school cellphone use

Virginia Senate Democrats introduced a bill to restrict cellphone use in schools, following Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s guidance.

September 19, 2024
Democrats in the Virginia Senate have introduced a bill that would restrict cellphone use in schools.

Virginia voters support school cellphone bans, Post-Schar School poll finds

A solid majority of Virginia voters support banning cellphone use in public schools, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.

September 13, 2024
A student uses their cellphone after unlocking the pouch that secures it from use during the school day at Bayside Academy in San Mateo, Calif., on Aug. 16. Most Virginia voters say they support cellphone bans in the state’s public schools. (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle/AP)