Big weather event coming tomorrow - what is APS gonna do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people in this forum not taking a tornado warning seriously makes me wonder about people in general. Schools should close by 1. No the school is not the safest place because traveling after such an event will be dangerous with wires down and debris in the road.

Early release for the late start elementary schools is typically 1:30, getting staff out by 2:00
I think it is a tough call for APS because it could go really, really poorly or be totally fine and it is difficult to predict. I generally think a full closure is easier on families than a delay but also see the need for instruction as I have missed so much with my Monday students this year.

Staff members do not have to stay after the buses have been dismissed. Admin can give everyone permission to leave right after dismissal—just like they do before TG or winter break.

Ok. It might be 1:50. I have afternoon bus duty every day. It take 20 minutes after stated dismissal to get the buses loaded, assuming they arrive on time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people in this forum not taking a tornado warning seriously makes me wonder about people in general. Schools should close by 1. No the school is not the safest place because traveling after such an event will be dangerous with wires down and debris in the road.

Early release for the late start elementary schools is typically 1:30, getting staff out by 2:00
I think it is a tough call for APS because it could go really, really poorly or be totally fine and it is difficult to predict. I generally think a full closure is easier on families than a delay but also see the need for instruction as I have missed so much with my Monday students this year.

Staff members do not have to stay after the buses have been dismissed. Admin can give everyone permission to leave right after dismissal—just like they do before TG or winter break.

Ok. It might be 1:50. I have afternoon bus duty every day. It take 20 minutes after stated dismissal to get the buses loaded, assuming they arrive on time

I don't think early release is going to do it. It's not just the time the buses leave the school. Kids will be out on the buses for a while, then walking home from bus stops for a while after. So this puts kids out right in the storm! Bad plan. Better to just call the whole day.

[Anonymous]

I cannot believe APS's lack of any kind of statement or indication that there is even a semblance of a plan in the works. It seems like negligence!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe APS's lack of any kind of statement or indication that there is even a semblance of a plan in the works. It seems like negligence!

The stated policy is to make calls by 6pm whenever possible or 5am at the latest. People will be upset either way

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except that there’s no tornado warning. And nothing may happen here at all.

Anonymous wrote:The people in this forum not taking a tornado warning seriously makes me wonder about people in general. Schools should close by 1. No the school is not the safest place because traveling after such an event will be dangerous with wires down and debris in the road.

There would not be an actual official tornado warning a day ahead of time. That's not how these things work. We are in a level 4 moderate risk which is highly unusual.

Please educate yourself.

Original commenter here. I was raised in OK. If we called out early every time there was a Level 4 "moderate risk" event, our kids wouldn't be going to school from April - Oct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except that there’s no tornado warning. And nothing may happen here at all.

Anonymous wrote:The people in this forum not taking a tornado warning seriously makes me wonder about people in general. Schools should close by 1. No the school is not the safest place because traveling after such an event will be dangerous with wires down and debris in the road.

There would not be an actual official tornado warning a day ahead of time. That's not how these things work. We are in a level 4 moderate risk which is highly unusual.

Please educate yourself.

Original commenter here. I was raised in OK. If we called out early every time there was a Level 4 "moderate risk" event, our kids wouldn't be going to school from April - Oct.

Of course, but didn’t you have storm shelters and well know plans and less traffic on the roads as well? You generally knew what to do and had fewer people to move around to do it. We aren’t used to this here and there are TONS of people on the roads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except that there’s no tornado warning. And nothing may happen here at all.

Anonymous wrote:The people in this forum not taking a tornado warning seriously makes me wonder about people in general. Schools should close by 1. No the school is not the safest place because traveling after such an event will be dangerous with wires down and debris in the road.

There would not be an actual official tornado warning a day ahead of time. That's not how these things work. We are in a level 4 moderate risk which is highly unusual.

Please educate yourself.

Original commenter here. I was raised in OK. If we called out early every time there was a Level 4 "moderate risk" event, our kids wouldn't be going to school from April - Oct.

Of course, but didn’t you have storm shelters and well know plans and less traffic on the roads as well? You generally knew what to do and had fewer people to move around to do it. We aren’t used to this here and there are TONS of people on the roads.

No. If by "storm shelter," you mean double wide, then okay. This is Oklahoma, not some fancy East Coast hideaway.

But I agree that these events happened often, so we did not panic like Northern VA who can't handle any weather event without asking for the school system to shut down in advance. The thing about tornadoes is you cannot predict their path until they're here. And it doesn't matter what building you're in. It's fate if you're in trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except that there’s no tornado warning. And nothing may happen here at all.

Anonymous wrote:The people in this forum not taking a tornado warning seriously makes me wonder about people in general. Schools should close by 1. No the school is not the safest place because traveling after such an event will be dangerous with wires down and debris in the road.

There would not be an actual official tornado warning a day ahead of time. That's not how these things work. We are in a level 4 moderate risk which is highly unusual.

Please educate yourself.

Original commenter here. I was raised in OK. If we called out early every time there was a Level 4 "moderate risk" event, our kids wouldn't be going to school from April - Oct.

Of course, but didn’t you have storm shelters and well know plans and less traffic on the roads as well? You generally knew what to do and had fewer people to move around to do it. We aren’t used to this here and there are TONS of people on the roads.

No. If by "storm shelter," you mean double wide, then okay. This is Oklahoma, not some fancy East Coast hideaway.

But I agree that these events happened often, so we did not panic like Northern VA who can't handle any weather event without asking for the school system to shut down in advance. The thing about tornadoes is you cannot predict their path until they're here. And it doesn't matter what building you're in. It's fate if you're in trouble.

DP- just stop, you sound insufferable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe APS's lack of any kind of statement or indication that there is even a semblance of a plan in the works. It seems like negligence!

Oh chill out, Jan. Your expectations are insane; schools don’t issue press releases for every weather event

[Anonymous]

You know who sounds insufferable? Parents who want to cancel school for the threat of severe weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except that there’s no tornado warning. And nothing may happen here at all.

Anonymous wrote:The people in this forum not taking a tornado warning seriously makes me wonder about people in general. Schools should close by 1. No the school is not the safest place because traveling after such an event will be dangerous with wires down and debris in the road.

There would not be an actual official tornado warning a day ahead of time. That's not how these things work. We are in a level 4 moderate risk which is highly unusual.

Please educate yourself.

Original commenter here. I was raised in OK. If we called out early every time there was a Level 4 "moderate risk" event, our kids wouldn't be going to school from April - Oct.

Of course, but didn’t you have storm shelters and well know plans and less traffic on the roads as well? You generally knew what to do and had fewer people to move around to do it. We aren’t used to this here and there are TONS of people on the roads.

No. If by "storm shelter," you mean double wide, then okay. This is Oklahoma, not some fancy East Coast hideaway.

But I agree that these events happened often, so we did not panic like Northern VA who can't handle any weather event without asking for the school system to shut down in advance. The thing about tornadoes is you cannot predict their path until they're here. And it doesn't matter what building you're in. It's fate if you're in trouble.

It’s not the building part so much, it’s that this hits during dismissal. When they are saying don’t be outside.

[Anonymous]

Other school systems are starting to close and/or release 3 hours early.

[Anonymous]

FAIRFAX
WEATHER ALERT FOR MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2026
All FCPS schools and offices will close three hours early on Monday, March 16, 2026 due to possible severe weather. Additional details at www.fcps.edu/alerts.

[Anonymous]

Montgomery county also closing 3 hr early

[Anonymous]

Womp womp. APS 3 hour early.