Will APS close on 4/21?

[Anonymous]

I saw that FCPS announced yesterday they’ll be closed on 4/21 due to the special election? Any guesses on whether APS follows suit? We don’t usually close for primaries, right?

[Anonymous]

Probably. But they won't announce it until about 3 days in advance so parents have to scramble and there are no camps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably. But they won't announce it until about 3 days in advance so parents have to scramble and there are no camps.

I think this is a good guess. Though we do not use as many schools for polling places as Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

APS loves to close school. Count on it.

[Anonymous]

Of course they will close so all 5 people voting in person aren't inconvenienced.

[Anonymous]

APS also has a boatload of snow days built in so lots of wiggle room to cancel.

[Anonymous]

If the day ends in Y they will cancel.

[Anonymous]

I wrote to the school board about this and asked that they provide as much notice as possible if schools will be closed on 4/21 and here is the non-response I just got:

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Thank you for writing to the School Board. Your message has been received, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your questions and concerns regarding April 21.

At this time, no proposal or decision has been made to the School Board regarding closing schools on April 21 for the special election. Should that change, the community will be notified as soon as possible so families and staff have adequate time to plan.

We understand the importance of advance notice, particularly for childcare arrangements and academic planning, and appreciate you raising this consideration.

Thank you again for reaching out. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School Board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wrote to the school board about this and asked that they provide as much notice as possible if schools will be closed on 4/21 and here is the non-response I just got:

---
Thank you for writing to the School Board. Your message has been received, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your questions and concerns regarding April 21.

At this time, no proposal or decision has been made to the School Board regarding closing schools on April 21 for the special election. Should that change, the community will be notified as soon as possible so families and staff have adequate time to plan.

We understand the importance of advance notice, particularly for childcare arrangements and academic planning, and appreciate you raising this consideration.

Thank you again for reaching out. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School Board.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like they don’t plan to close… for now at least.

[Anonymous]

I hope they close so the Open Up Nooooow people can't handle it.

[Anonymous]

I just heard that this is on the agenda for the next school board meeting

[Anonymous]

No. I don’t think so. I’m a high school teacher and have seen how it’s run during a smaller election. Usually an area is blocked off and people go through one entrance point, vote, and exit through the same door. They’re not going to close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just heard that this is on the agenda for the next school board meeting

It is. They’re planning on having us do some special education training

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope they close so the Open Up Nooooow people can't handle it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. I don’t think so. I’m a high school teacher and have seen how it’s run during a smaller election. Usually an area is blocked off and people go through one entrance point, vote, and exit through the same door. They’re not going to close.

I agree this would make sense and is what they’ve done in the past. But didn’t they close for primaries after the calendar was set in 2024? This election is unlikely to have that turnout. But FCPS decided to close on 4/21.