Will DCPS be closed tomorrow (Wednesday)?

[Anonymous]

Good, it's too dangerous. It's not the snow, it's the ice. 99% of the time when it snows in DC, you get a lot of melt by the next day and this makes it fairly easy to clear sidewalks and streets. This time there's been zero melt and temperatures are lower each consecutive day. Comparisons to snowier climates with heavier snowfalls are irrelevant -- it's harder to dig out of this storm than previous DC storms that dumped twice as much snow, due to the temperatures and lack of melt.

It too bad because I don't want to keep my kid home all week but it's just the reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good, it's too dangerous. It's not the snow, it's the ice. 99% of the time when it snows in DC, you get a lot of melt by the next day and this makes it fairly easy to clear sidewalks and streets. This time there's been zero melt and temperatures are lower each consecutive day. Comparisons to snowier climates with heavier snowfalls are irrelevant -- it's harder to dig out of this storm than previous DC storms that dumped twice as much snow, due to the temperatures and lack of melt.

It too bad because I don't want to keep my kid home all week but it's just the reality.

Yes, was chatting with my neighbor this evening most the city is not plowed.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Here’s the thing. It’s still treacherous and walking in the middle of the street to catch already unreliable buses with pk, early elementary kids is very challenging. Not to mention my kid has a broken foot.

DCPS should just call it. It’s some weird flex to be the last one when all surrounding districts have closed already. Keep parents informed and early so we can plan. It’s almost 5.

No. This is not a reasonable argument.

The reason that DC area suburbs have to be conservative about closing is that the counties are very large and schools are controlled at the county level. If there is one town on the edge of Fairfax County that is in bad shape, they have to close the whole county. It's over 400 square miles! DC, on the other hand, is less than 70 square miles, is much more dense, and invests in snow clearing infrastructure because of the federal government and economic impacts. Additionally, with a way higher percent of kids experiencing food insecurity, closing for days for snow has more of a downside.

DC is usually the first to open, and it's for real reasons, not bragging rights.

Whether they should open tomorrow or not is a reasonable question, but closing whenever the surrounding counties close is dumb (and has never been DC's policy).

Yes, because as we know, every single DCPS teacher has zero kids, lives in DC proper, lives on top of a Metro station, teaches at a school that’s convenient to Metro and never has to worry about a bus line that probably won’t be fully operational again until February.

When OPM is open, this is not a reasonable argument. Adults are expected to work. Figure it out. It's about student safety and logistics.

OPM closed for the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the thing. It’s still treacherous and walking in the middle of the street to catch already unreliable buses with pk, early elementary kids is very challenging. Not to mention my kid has a broken foot.

DCPS should just call it. It’s some weird flex to be the last one when all surrounding districts have closed already. Keep parents informed and early so we can plan. It’s almost 5.

No. This is not a reasonable argument.

The reason that DC area suburbs have to be conservative about closing is that the counties are very large and schools are controlled at the county level. If there is one town on the edge of Fairfax County that is in bad shape, they have to close the whole county. It's over 400 square miles! DC, on the other hand, is less than 70 square miles, is much more dense, and invests in snow clearing infrastructure because of the federal government and economic impacts. Additionally, with a way higher percent of kids experiencing food insecurity, closing for days for snow has more of a downside.

DC is usually the first to open, and it's for real reasons, not bragging rights.

Whether they should open tomorrow or not is a reasonable question, but closing whenever the surrounding counties close is dumb (and has never been DC's policy).

Yes, because as we know, every single DCPS teacher has zero kids, lives in DC proper, lives on top of a Metro station, teaches at a school that’s convenient to Metro and never has to worry about a bus line that probably won’t be fully operational again until February.

When OPM is open, this is not a reasonable argument. Adults are expected to work. Figure it out. It's about student safety and logistics.

It’s called telework.

[Anonymous]

Did they make teachers telework on the Monday professional development day?

[Anonymous]

It's the right decision. All the other educational institutions are closed, even universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did they make teachers telework on the Monday professional development day?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's the right decision. All the other educational institutions are closed, even universities.

No announcement from Georgetown University yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three schools in my neighborhood are serviced by a bus route that is not operating today. None of the sidewalks are cleared and it’s a brisk 20 minute walk from the metro station on a good day. So even if we assume that the teachers are able to drive in, I’m not sure how the majority of students will get to school.

You really want to close schools because kids are going to have to stomp through 20 minutes of snow?

No. I don’t want kids who are inadequately dressed for the weather (not by choice) to be injured by slipping and falling on hard ice. And note that I said 20 minutes on a good day, ie no sidewalk obstructions or ice to watch out for. That’s not even getting into whether there is adequate heating, which hadn’t even been fixed properly prior to this storm.

[Anonymous]

If you want schools open, tell DC to plow thr damn roads. Whoever posted very very few roads haven’t been plowed didn’t look on the map clearly. There are lots of streets that haven’t been cleared. I don’t expect much from DC but geez plow my road once. It’s been 44 hours since the sleet stopped.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My neighbor just said all the crosswalks are blocked by several feet of snow dumped by the snow plows. So kids can’t cross over to the school. It needs to be cleared by a machine but that won’t happen. Is there anywhere to report this needs doing or is it futile?

I walked to the grocery store today, stepping over snow piles at crosswalks. I survived. Those piles shouldn't keep anyone from going to school.

These are CHILDREN. For the love of God think about someone outside of yourselves for once.

Children love snow! Playing, walking, sledding…

Slipping on it and falling into busy streets!

Feel free to write your representative about having school open in the summer rather than the winter so your precious snowflake doesn't have to risk going outside in the snow and ice.

Feel free to move to Florida.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone here actually driven around today? The side streets are not great, but everything else is fine. You can go the speed limit on streets like Georgia Avenue without any problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC isn't open tomorrow, and it's because the streets haven't been cleared. Which in turn is because the snow/6 inch ice pack is unusually heavy, I assume. Whatever the reason, plowing is much less pervasive than usual.

I was blase about it until I killed my back trying to dig my car out this afternoon. It's never been this hard to dig out a car for me in DC before. I could easily make an igloo with the 10x10x6 blocks of ice I pried up and threw in a five foot pile next to the sidwalk.

Regardless, the city has called it, so, it is what it is.

Seriously. It is crystal f-ing clear that the people complaining haven't tried to clear any of this crap themselves.

Today was a no brainer. Tomorrow is justifiable. Our city has too many entitled a-holes.

Eh, you should get off your couch, put away the giant bowl of potato chips, turn off Wheel of Fortune and go outside. The streets aren't that bad. There's people on bikes and scooters out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC isn't open tomorrow, and it's because the streets haven't been cleared. Which in turn is because the snow/6 inch ice pack is unusually heavy, I assume. Whatever the reason, plowing is much less pervasive than usual.

I was blase about it until I killed my back trying to dig my car out this afternoon. It's never been this hard to dig out a car for me in DC before. I could easily make an igloo with the 10x10x6 blocks of ice I pried up and threw in a five foot pile next to the sidwalk.

Regardless, the city has called it, so, it is what it is.

Seriously. It is crystal f-ing clear that the people complaining haven't tried to clear any of this crap themselves.

Today was a no brainer. Tomorrow is justifiable. Our city has too many entitled a-holes.

Eh, you should get off your couch, put away the giant bowl of potato chips, turn off Wheel of Fortune and go outside. The streets aren't that bad. There's people on bikes and scooters out.

Long line at Popeyes. Not too dangerous for fried chicken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone here actually driven around today? The side streets are not great, but everything else is fine. You can go the speed limit on streets like Georgia Avenue without any problem.

I saw multiple near miss accidents on my block alone. Really not a good idea. Sure Georgia Ave is okay but the rest of the city is iced over.