Fairfax County Public Schools will start classes two hours late for the rest of this week, as lingering “snowcrete” continues to hinder travel.
“As we look to the rest of the week and the persistent presence of snow and ice on many of our sidewalks and bus stops, we feel the safest thing to do for our students and staff is to continue with our delayed start times,” FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid said in a message to families.
As they have for the past two days, schools will open on a two-hour delay tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday (Feb. 6), and several activities have been 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.
Administrative offices will open on time, as will afternoon preschool and adult education classes. School Age Child Care and Beyond the Bell centers will open at 8 a.m.
Classes resumed yesterday (Tuesday) on a two-hour delay after students had a full week off in the wake of Winter Storm Fern, which dropped up to 8.5 inches of snow and ice on Fairfax County on Jan. 25. Two days last week — Jan. 29 and 30 — had been designated as student holidays anyway for staff development and planning.
FCPS had hoped to reopen at the start of this week, but even with the involvement of thousands of school workers and coordination with Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Transportation, an abundance of snow and ice still blocking sidewalks and bus stops convinced officials to keep doors closed on Monday (Feb. 2).
Reid says FCPS is planning to open schools on time next week, but updates will be shared Sunday afternoon (Feb. 8).
“Delaying school start times by two hours the rest of the week will make sure students are traveling to school during daylight hours, maximizing safety as they navigate sidewalks and bus stops that still have ice and snow,” Reid said. “We are a large county, and the safety conditions remain inconsistent across our more than 400 square miles.”
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave state and county snow removal efforts measured reviews, acknowledging that an extended bout of extreme cold made the frozen precipitation particularly difficult to move.
The responsibility for clearing snow from roads and sidewalks in Fairfax falls on a mix of VDOT, local governments in Fairfax City, Vienna and Herndon, and individual property owners.
Over in Alexandria City, the local public school system announced today that it will be returning to its regular scheduling for the rest of this week.
Photo via FCPS/Facebook
