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Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)
Snow day
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Anonymous
| I'm a new mom to the school system (I have a Kindergartener) and I am just curious....did people care this much about school closures pre-covid? I have to admit that I am confused by the outrage about a few days of snow, and I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the pervasive idea that our kids were robbed during Covid and never recovered. |
Anonymous
Yes. For some parents it is a real issue because of work schedules and not enough PTO to cover sudden closures. For some parents it is an issue because they don’t think there is ever a reason for schools to close. For people who have lived in colder and snowier places they don’t understand why any amount of snow, short of a blizzard, would close anything. And then there are the days that school is closed and there is no snow or ice in most of the county but one pyramid got hit. They close the entire County down and most of the kids don’t even get the benefit of playing in the snow. |
Anonymous
| Praying for closure tomorrow. We are so not ready to go back. |
Anonymous
yes- i have a HSer and this has always been an issue. the outrage is usually about the length of time FCPS is out. Especially since they just had break. Working parents have it a little easier now since there is far more remote work but caring for young kids and working is almost impossible. Also, FCPS is out all the time for random reasons. This just adds to it. Yesterday and today make sense. All week -not so much. |
Anonymous
My oldest is about to graduate. The answer to your question is yes. It’s always been an issue. People don’t stop to think that ALL schools are closed. Feds are closed. County gov are all on altered schedules. New parents move into county and new parents of kindergarten students contribute a lot because they did not know how this area operates in snow. FCPS is the largest system around and can not be split apart for major weather event closures. They have tried to figure this out to no end, it just can not be done. Isolated incidents involving power outage or burst plumbing can close individual schools but that it the extent of partial closures. |
Anonymous
Yes. It’s like this every year, it’s a fun tradition! |
Anonymous
As someone who was an FCPS student in the late 90s/early 00s, the outrage is not new. It's been steadily building, though, and Covid may have accelerated it. Back in the day we only had 4 snow days built into the calendar (used 180 days not 990 hours for our accreditation with the state). The county had fewer kids and buses and was more likely to do things like stay open or utilize early releases. Overy time the county grew, there was at least one and maybe more incidences with a bus having a minor accident on a snowy or icy road, cost of living in this area went up meaning fewer at-home parents, and on and on. Plus our culture is just more anxiety prone than it used to be. And the Internet noise is louder than the real-life noise - I bet chatter at your bus stop or on your playground sounds much more sane than DCUM. I'd love for things to go back to the way they were when I was a student, but it isn't happening and I'm not losing sleep over it. |
Anonymous
| I suspect the largest % of parents with concerns is the cohort with both parents working in an office. Other than government workers, most people do not get "snow days". So when school is closed and there are kids, then someone has to take PTO for child care. Even where telework is a theoretical possibility, it can be hard or impossible to juggle that with child care. |
Anonymous
Absolutely, but more broadly I think pre-covid the vast majority parents believed that teachers/school administrators were operating with the best interests of the the children at heart and were inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. Post covid I think this is no longer the case and parents are far more inclined to question/challenge decisions on a wide spectrum of issues, including snow closures. |
Anonymous
I think what is outrageous is the triggered reaction from some about snow days. I personally would rather kids home safe than rushing to get back and putting people/children in danger. I am a parent and my children are my responsibility. FCPS doesn't have a snow machine and they aren't here to work against us. It's getting old listening to the shock and outrage about snow and ice. Plan for these possibilities-your kids are your responsibility and it's FCPS' responsibility to make the best calls so they can to keep everyone safe. I'm also tired of the entitlement-you know the posts that say well my neighborhood is clear....yeah well two neighborhoods down might not be. The loudest complaining parents would be the ones to sue FCPS into oblivion. If we do go back tomorrow I would bet on at least a delay....so to all the outraged parents don't worry you can rant about that tonight. |
Anonymous
My level of outrage has greatly diminished now that I am allowed to telework instead of having to take PTO. I was more upset that the Fed got the day off and those of us who worked in a Fed building had to take PTO. Our contract did not allow us to make up the hours. If it had let us make up the hours, I would have been far less salty. But my complaints were normally stated that it was the forced PTO. I was really salty when it was the case that there was no ice or snow or anything in our neighborhood and the mess in a few other places caused us to close. |
Anonymous
Government workers do not get "snow days" . It's max telework and with young kids at home that means taking PTO. |
Anonymous
At the least yes |
Anonymous
FCPS will be closed tomorrow, no plowing on our street yet. We live one black to ES in McLean! |
Anonymous
look at opm's definition and who is allowed weather and safety leave before you start spouting incorrect information. |