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

[Anonymous]

This is the 2nd year in a row that FCPS has been closed on more days than other schools in the area, including large school systems in Montgomery County.

Who can we contact as parents to address this issue and come up with solutions for some of the obstacles that keeps them from opening on snow days? What can we as parents do to solve this issue?

The other aspect is to explore various venues in the community that offer camp during snow days, especially a place where children can run around indoors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the 2nd year in a row that FCPS has been closed on more days than other schools in the area, including large school systems in Montgomery County.

Who can we contact as parents to address this issue and come up with solutions for some of the obstacles that keeps them from opening on snow days? What can we as parents do to solve this issue?

The other aspect is to explore various venues in the community that offer camp during snow days, especially a place where children can run around indoors.

Plus, it has been two relatively mild winters in terms of snow. What is going to happen when we get a real winter (which comes around every 3-4 years)?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

That's because FCPS has 12 snow days built into their schedule. Arlington elementary schools have 1.

[Anonymous]

Speaking as someone who has moms from FCPS working for me in the office...yes, please. Change this. I can basically count on them working way less than the FCCPS mom who lives a stone's throw away...

[Anonymous]

Perhaps you could be useful and help clean-up the roads? A school bus slid and crashed in front of my house. On a day the schools *didn't* close.

[Anonymous]

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....

[Anonymous]

A big one would be to pony up the money to replace all the person old buses. The old buses seem to be the big problem. As of now, 381 school buses need to be replaced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's because FCPS has 12 snow days built into their schedule. Arlington elementary schools have 1.

This is only the first year we've had then built in.

[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.

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).

[Anonymous]

Get rid of buses and put the onus on parents to take personal responsibility for getting their kids to and from school. Problem solved, millions of $ saved.

[Anonymous]

I'm happy with the way FCPS has handled closures this winter, except for the Tuesday in January when they should have delayed or closed and did not.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

Not to mention, it's not the teacher's job to "babysit." It's the teacher's job to teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get rid of buses and put the onus on parents to take personal responsibility for getting their kids to and from school. Problem solved, millions of $ saved.

Any way more cars on the road. Imagine the mess outside schools.