As anticipated, Fairfax County Public Schools will resume classes tomorrow (Tuesday), albeit on a two-hour delay.
“This means all schools will begin two hours after their regularly scheduled start times,” FCPS said in an announcement. “Central and school offices will open on time. Central and school office 12-month employees must report to work on time.”
School Age Child Care and Beyond the Bell centers will open at 8 a.m., and afternoon preschool and adult education classes will start on time.
However, morning preschool and special education classes have been canceled. FCPS also won’t provide transportation to high school academy classes until 12:45 p.m.
Homebound instruction will begin at 10 a.m. The two-hour delay includes adult high school and GED courses.
A similar two-hour delay is expected on Wednesday (Feb. 4), but that will be confirmed with an official update tomorrow.
This means students will return to school for the first time since Winter Storm Fern blew through the region on Sunday, Jan. 25. While the accumulated snow wasn’t unprecedented, below-freezing temperatures have slowed the process of cleaning up streets and sidewalks.
According to FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid, snow clean-up efforts required the participation of approximately 1,400 custodial staff as well as the office of facilities management, hundreds of bus drivers, and the school system’s food and nutrition team:
Our 199 schools and centers encompass more than 28 million square feet of building space. We also have more than 40,000 parking spaces and more than 400 acres of paved area that need to be treated, cleared, and maintained during snow events — this includes sidewalks, entrances, and internal road networks across our school and administrative sites. In short, this is no small effort to get our schools ready for students and the community.
FCPS also coordinated with Fairfax County officials and the Virginia Department of Transportation to clear roadways, sidewalks and bus stops. As lingering “snowcrete” continued to make travel difficult, Reid even encouraged community members to pitch in by clearing snow piles and icy patches in their neighborhoods.
Thanking staff for their work over eight days, Reid noted in a message to families this afternoon (Monday) that students walking to school should continue to be careful, and bus stops may change based on road conditions. Bus delays will be reported online if they’re longer than 10 minutes or by email for any that exceed 30 minutes.
“As you head out in the morning, please be mindful of students who are making their way to school,” Reid said. “For families who are able to, we encourage you to check that your child’s walking route to school is as safe as possible with the snow and ice, or, if possible, carpool with other families.”
Reid’s full message is below:
Hello FCPS Families,
After a week of hard work by our custodial, facilities, and transportation teams – and with the help of today’s above freezing temperatures and additional support from VDOT– we believe we are ready to safely open schools. All FCPS schools will open on a two-hour delay for Tuesday, February 3, 2026. This means schools will open two hours later than their regular start times. All central and school offices will open on time.
We anticipate that this will also be the case for Wednesday, February 4. We will provide a community update tomorrow afternoon.
The following activities in schools and on school grounds are canceled or delayed:
- Morning preschool and special education classes are canceled.
- Full-day preschool, special education, and Early Head Start/PreK classes start two hours later than the regular schedule.
- Morning field trips are canceled.
- Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled. Transportation will be provided for academy classes that start after 12:45 p.m.
- Adult High School and GED courses will start two hours later than the regular schedule.
- Homebound instruction will begin at 10 a.m.
School Age Child Care (SACC) and Beyond the Bell (BTB) centers will open at 8 a.m. Afternoon preschool classes will start on their regular schedule, and Adult and Community Education (ACE) classes will start on time.
I want to thank all of our incredible staff who have worked tirelessly over the last eight days to clear snow and ice, and make sure our schools are safe for students and staff to return. We could not open without the ongoing hard work of our custodial, facilities, and transportation teams as well as VDOT and our county partners.
Fairfax County is approximately 400 square miles. Each day, 130,000 students walk to 45,000 bus stops across the county. An additional 50,000 students walk, drive, or are driven by an adult. As you head out in the morning, please be mindful of students who are making their way to school. For families who are able to, we encourage you to check that your child’s walking route to school is as safe as possible with the snow and ice, or, if possible, carpool with other families.
FCPS’ Office of Transportation Services will notify families of any changes to bus stops due to road conditions. In addition, please know that there may be some delays. We ask families to monitor the Bus Delay website to get up-to-date information on the route status. The website will record if a bus is running more than 10 minutes late. Parents will also receive an email if a bus is more than 30 minutes late.
If you feel that your child is still safest staying home, please make sure to call your child’s school to get an excused absence.
Additional updates will be available on the FCPS website and the FCPS mobile app.
Thank you for your patience and collaboration as we work to clear out the snow and ice from last week’s storm. We will continue to provide updates to you regarding weather conditions and any potential changes for the remainder of the week.
Warmest regards,
Dr. Michelle C. Reid
Superintendent
Fairfax County Public Schools
