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“Large public school systems have struggled with how to serve students with special needs without litigation, receivership and decrees,” Henderson said. “For any parent in D.C., finding a slot for out-of-school time programming is a challenge if you have a child with special needs. This is not a niche issue.”

During the pandemic, the federal government expanded the Free and Reduced-price Meals program to be more flexible, allowing all kids the opportunity to eat meals at school, but that expansion and its funding were canceled abruptly in September of last year. Henderson said it left a lot of students who were on the margin of qualifying for the program hungry. "They don't qualify for free and reduced lunch, but their families are still being stretched too much to pay," Henderson explained. If approved by the council, the plan would go into effect in time for the 2023-2024 school year. Henderson says then she’ll look at tackling other school-meal-related issues like quality of food.

“Where does [the violence] stop?” asks my granddaughter. I don’t have the answer for her question. Listening to her, however, I know the accuracy and danger in the assessment at-large Council member Christina Henderson made Tuesday: “We are robbing our young people of their innocence.”

“The idea that we’re going to stop a young person from eating when it is relatively inexpensive for us to cover this is crazy to me,” Henderson said in an interview. “It’s a relatively small investment that will go a long way.”

While speaking with The Informer days later, D.C. Council member Christina Henderson (I-At large) implored Bowser and others who want more police in schools to keep in mind that incidents of gun violence rarely happen on school grounds. Henderson reflected on council hearings where young people compared their school hallways to police substations, adding that execution of school disciplinary procedures, not detainment, should suffice in situations where young people break rules.

D.C. Council member Christina Henderson tweeted that she would be checking in with D.C. Public Schools and the Department of Behavioral Health to ensure that Brookland Middle School has proper support. "Property is not greater than life. Karon should be alive today," Henderson tweeted.

While Gray voiced his concern about the committee process, Henderson expressed approval. “I’m honored to have been appointed by my colleagues as the chairperson of the Council’s Committee on Health,” she said. “We have much work to do to enhance our health system infrastructure, tackle the growing challenge of substance and opioid abuse, strengthen our school-based mental health program, improve our maternal health outcomes, and address gun violence as a public health issue.”

D.C. Council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large) said she met with the director of the D.C. Department of Public Works recently to discuss illegal dumping, especially in neighborhoods and areas east of the Anacostia River. Henderson said she forwarded the Ward 8 Conservancy’s tweet to DPW and asked the Environmental Crimes Unit to assess the area for camera surveillance. “This many tires didn’t happen overnight,” Henderson tweeted.

DCHA’s explanation of how it takes people off the list was also unclear. The confusion started when Councilmember Christina Henderson asked why DCHA was hosting “mass eligibility events” (fairs where listees are invited to verify current eligibility) when the number of invitees (thousands) is so much greater than the available units (hundreds). Donald cited two reasons: response rates are low and many eligible listees end up rejecting units the city offers them.

Mendelson and several other council members have hailed free bus rides as a transformative moment for public transportation… ‘In many ways, this returns the Metrobus to its height as the original rideshare option, and this one is going to be free!’ added At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson.

There’s been a push to require that all D.C. childcare workers have college degrees, and the first set of new regulations go into effect today. But, people who disagree with the law say it’s putting a lot of qualified people out of work. Today we're hearing from Robert McNamara from the Institute For Justice and Councilmember Christina Henderson as they try to make their case.

“Although Director [Brenda] Donald has said that none of this was quote-unquote ‘surprising,’ I think to members of the public, the extent and breadth of the issues at the authority were indeed surprising,” said D.C. Council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large). “The lack of progress on some of these issues, especially given the unprecedented investment of local dollars over the last three years — we totaled about 150 million in capital dollars alone — I think was also surprising.” Henderson said it is “especially shocking” that, as noted in the HUD report, 1 in 4 of the agency’s public housing units are vacant.