On Thursday, February 9th, Mayor Gray, Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Beatriz “BB” Otero and the Honorable Zoe Bush, Associate Judge of  D.C. Superior Court unveiled a new citywide ad campaign that reinforces the link between consistent school attendance and academic success. Research shows that missing even one day of school every few weeks can prevent a student from graduating on time. The campaign features motivational stories of five District students who, in some cases, reversed failing grades and chronic truancy to get back on track. The Mayor’s Truancy Taskforce, made up of a cross-section of District health, human and criminal justice serving agencies, is charged with identifying and addressing the many contributing factors that often impede a student’s ability to attend school regularly by developing strategies that support the student and his or her family.

Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright is convening a hearing that will give members of the public an opportunity to provide their input on shaping the D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) budget for fiscal year 2013. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. at H.D. Woodson High School, 540 55th Street, NE with a second public hearing on March 8 at 5:30 p.m. (location TBD). This hearing will provide an additional opportunity for public feedback on school-budget issues to complement the already-announced budget hearing, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. February 22 at H.D. Woodson High School. Read more.

The following District Government agencies will be closed in observance of President's Day:

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) - All locations will be closed on Saturday, February 18; Sunday, February 19; and Monday, February 20.

DC Public Schools (DCPS) - Closed on Monday, February 20.

Department of Public Works (DPW) - Closed on Monday, February 20. Read more.

DC Public Libary (DCPL) - All library locations will be closed on Monday, February 20.

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On Tuesday, February 7, Mayor Gray delivered the 2012 State of the District Address (SODA) at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, where he reported on the status of the city and his administration and outlined his agenda and priorities for the coming year. Read SODA.

Watch SODA - http://www.youtube.com/user/dcmayorsoffice?feature=mhee

On February 3rd, Mayor Gray and Serve DC – The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism’s Executive Director, Patricia Evans announced that Serve DC was awarded a $150,000 Target Reading Grant, which will be used to fund DC Reading Corps, a pilot initiative aimed at helping children become more successful readers by the end of the third grade. Read more.

As Mayor Gray noted in his State of the District speech, crime – whether it’s petty theft or armed robbery – will not be tolerated in our city. The Metropolitan Police Department is aggressively fighting a recent increase in robberies and thefts in neighborhoods across the District via several methods. Many of the crimes have involved smart phones and other personal electronic devices. Mayor Gray and Chief Lanier will encourage District residents to be alert and provide information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of those who have perpetrated these crimes.

On Thursday, February 16th, Mayor Gray announced a settlement in the 37-year-old Dixon class-action lawsuit and the end of court oversight of the District’s public mental health system. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas F. Hogan approved the settlement between the District and Dixon plaintiffs’ counsel in a hearing that day and dismissed the lawsuit.

“This is an historic day in the District of Columbia, and this settlement affirms the significant progress we have made in building a high-quality, community-based mental health system,” said Mayor Gray. “It also is a great victory for District residents, as we have regained control over critical mental-health services and can hold the District government accountable for effective service delivery.”  Read more.