FCPS Closings/Who to contact about this issue/What can we do as parents to solve this problem

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure but sign me up. My kids are not yet part of fcps but our preschool follows fcps and it boils me beyond belief that they're taking advantage of fcps when none of the concerns for closure affect the preschool yet we pay, and they keep closing.

Same here. We're not in preschool, but for these gym-type activities we pay for DD, the places look for any reason to close. In November they closed for election day! No reason other than that MCPS was closed then.. despite the fact they aren't in an MCPS building at all - -they're in a strip mall.

[Anonymous]

I think FCPS needs to send their transportation and a few execs to some school districts in other parts of the country who have the same issues we have (large geographic district, low SES populations to the point where coats, boots are an issue, etc.) to see how they do it. If they need to close, they at least need to do it in a more organized manner than what I've seen them do this winter. But I'm sure there are other more grassroots solutions, too.

I'm not yet a FCPS, but am really worried about what will happen when my DD gets older. If people get together to address this, I'd definitely get involved.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to know first the areas that fcps is worried about kids staying out in the cold. Maybe they can do a survey where parents indicate if they prefer schools close for sidewalks lack of warm clothes or waiting at the bus stop. They can also indicate if their child is a walker or bus rider and where they go to school. If the parent wants school to close they can list why and what can be done to make the system better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, I'm tired of complaining and feeling overwhelmed about this, so I started thinking about solutions today and how parents could make a change.

Someone on a previous forum mentioned open the cafeterias early so parents can drop off their children if the issue relates to children waiting in the cold for the bus. Brilliant idea and doable.

Other ideas....

Can parents take turns babysitting the cafeteria kids? Presumably not every teacher can plow her street.

On a day like today, plowing was not required. you can have a delayed opening, ask the staff to show up at their usual time so no extra burden added to the staff.

[Anonymous]

One thing that would help for days like yesterday, is a Where's My Bus App. Reading through the budget briefly, I noticed a section about the AVL system, which includes installing GPS on buses.

It would be a good hackathon project. My brother led a similiar one that created that type of app for the public buses in Hampton Roads area.

[Anonymous]

Solution: run for the school board. Replace the weather decision makers with people from upstate New York.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure but sign me up. My kids are not yet part of fcps but our preschool follows fcps and it boils me beyond belief that they're taking advantage of fcps when none of the concerns for closure affect the preschool yet we pay, and they keep closing.

THIS drives me nuts. Same with our preschool. We have no buses!! No reason my kid can't go to preschool at noon (he's afternoons).

We are afternoons as well. I sit on the preschool board and have pushed for alternatives but it has becom very apparent that the director loves her snow days and doesn't want to consider alternatives. We suggested "making their own decision" or following government closure or following Arlington closures (since we are on the border) but every suggestion was shot down. The killer part is when fcps does something like extend Mondays or schedule days into June, she miraculously stops following fcps and becomes an independent thinker. It is a money pit.

[Anonymous]

I have lived in and have had kids in schools in seven districts and I have found that FCPS does a fine job of handling closures and delays. It sounds as though there are people who want the schools open no matter what and they will be unhappy any time the schools call for a weather-related closure.

[Anonymous]

We can do it as long as we pony up the labor/funding. Public schools aren't supposed to be in the babysitting business.

Now, for poor children who need lunch and coats, etc., we need to address that.

[Anonymous]

Are all the posters in here with very young kids?

I felt like a lot of you when my kids were in kindergarten.

Now that they are in upper elementary and in middle school, I don't mind the school closures as much. Guess I just grew up and understood that Fairfax County is a huge district and you just can't please everyone.

[Anonymous]

Close school for the winter and keep schools open for the summer. Kids w/o home caregiver go to camp. We have so many holidays, teacher work days and snow days between thanksgiving and March 1st. Might as well!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure but sign me up. My kids are not yet part of fcps but our preschool follows fcps and it boils me beyond belief that they're taking advantage of fcps when none of the concerns for closure affect the preschool yet we pay, and they keep closing.

THIS drives me nuts. Same with our preschool. We have no buses!! No reason my kid can't go to preschool at noon (he's afternoons).

We are afternoons as well. I sit on the preschool board and have pushed for alternatives but it has becom very apparent that the director loves her snow days and doesn't want to consider alternatives. We suggested "making their own decision" or following government closure or following Arlington closures (since we are on the border) but every suggestion was shot down. The killer part is when fcps does something like extend Mondays or schedule days into June, she miraculously stops following fcps and becomes an independent thinker. It is a money pit.

Are you in the non-profit sector? So your industry is a money pit too, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure but sign me up. My kids are not yet part of fcps but our preschool follows fcps and it boils me beyond belief that they're taking advantage of fcps when none of the concerns for closure affect the preschool yet we pay, and they keep closing.

Same here. We're not in preschool, but for these gym-type activities we pay for DD, the places look for any reason to close. In November they closed for election day! No reason other than that MCPS was closed then.. despite the fact they aren't in an MCPS building at all - -they're in a strip mall.

Umm, no offense bc I'm sure it's a frustrating situation but the solution for this problem is to walk away with your business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are all the posters in here with very young kids?

I felt like a lot of you when my kids were in kindergarten.

Now that they are in upper elementary and in middle school, I don't mind the school closures as much. Guess I just grew up and understood that Fairfax County is a huge district and you just can't please everyone.

And to think they thought they were able to let their hair down once the kids entered elementary school! News flash: it doesn't get better! So make a contingency plan, like drop- in daycare for your elementary school aged kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure but sign me up. My kids are not yet part of fcps but our preschool follows fcps and it boils me beyond belief that they're taking advantage of fcps when none of the concerns for closure affect the preschool yet we pay, and they keep closing.

THIS drives me nuts. Same with our preschool. We have no buses!! No reason my kid can't go to preschool at noon (he's afternoons).

We are afternoons as well. I sit on the preschool board and have pushed for alternatives but it has becom very apparent that the director loves her snow days and doesn't want to consider alternatives. We suggested "making their own decision" or following government closure or following Arlington closures (since we are on the border) but every suggestion was shot down. The killer part is when fcps does something like extend Mondays or schedule days into June, she miraculously stops following fcps and becomes an independent thinker. It is a money pit.

I will tell you exactly what the problem is with the preschools. Many teachers at PT preschools are mothers with their own school-age kids. They purposefully get a job with this kind of schedule so that they can be available for their own children after school, on school holidays, summers, etc. These jobs are low paying and that's the trade off, but it's worth it for many moms to do that and still keep their foot in the door or make some extra money. It's not coincidental that so many church preschools follow the FCPS schedules to the letter. Do you know how disruptive it would be for these teachers, who took the job with the knowledge that their workplace follows FCPS snow days and that they would be home with their children on those days, to suddenly have a mid-year switch and have to deal with backup childcare? It would be a huge problem. I do not fault the preschools in any way for doing this even though it BURNS ME UP INSIDE that I paid for 5 days of preschool this week and got one, thanks to the holiday and snow days! This is a FCPS problem, not a preschool problem.