What do we think will happen on Monday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite is people complaining on Facebook about sidewalks not being shoveled and saying there’s no way the kids can go to school because of it. As if someone is going to just come along and do it for them. I get that plows made everything harder by piling up snow. They did it to us too, but you have to get out there and work on it or find someone who can help. It’s like there is no concept of personal responsibility anymore. Everyone just throws their hands up and says there’s no possible solution.

How does one work on a glacier?

If people had worked on it as it was happening it would have been easier. We shoveled, pushed aside sleet, and then used shovels to break up the ice build up on Sunday. It sucked but our sidewalk and driveway were clear by Sunday afternoon. People who chose to wait made a choice and now are arguing that the ice is too much.

If you don’t see that starting early and sucking up the fact that it sucked early caused that glacier on your sidewalk, that is on you. Now figure out how to deal with it. Hardware stores sell tools that work on this stuff, you might need to buy one.

Exactly! We shoveled multiple times on Sunday. I shoveled our walkway Sunday evening and it’s been totally fine to walk on (albeit carefully) since then. We had so much advance notice that a storm was coming AND what kind of storm it would be. No excuse not to have obtained a shovel ahead of time or to have sat on your butt all day Sunday watching it pile up.

I’m not sure where you live, but we shoveled twice on Sunday and it turned into an ice rink by Monday. I also note that I usually have no issue with shoveling my driveway; however, this week was hard — both my DH and I agreed it was a lot more difficult than in the past. We usually shovel a neighbor’s driveway, but we just didn’t have the energy this time.

Also, I assume you have children at home who can watch themselves, and maybe a spouse who helped you. Some people are single parents with small children who need constant supervision, making shoveling a challenge.

[Anonymous]

In the FCPS staff group, bus drivers are reporting that over half of their stops (for some, over 90% of stops) are not accessible. Also that unless streets are made into one-ways, K+R will be a congested mess

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite is people complaining on Facebook about sidewalks not being shoveled and saying there’s no way the kids can go to school because of it. As if someone is going to just come along and do it for them. I get that plows made everything harder by piling up snow. They did it to us too, but you have to get out there and work on it or find someone who can help. It’s like there is no concept of personal responsibility anymore. Everyone just throws their hands up and says there’s no possible solution.

How does one work on a glacier?

If people had worked on it as it was happening it would have been easier. We shoveled, pushed aside sleet, and then used shovels to break up the ice build up on Sunday. It sucked but our sidewalk and driveway were clear by Sunday afternoon. People who chose to wait made a choice and now are arguing that the ice is too much.

If you don’t see that starting early and sucking up the fact that it sucked early caused that glacier on your sidewalk, that is on you. Now figure out how to deal with it. Hardware stores sell tools that work on this stuff, you might need to buy one.

Exactly! We shoveled multiple times on Sunday. I shoveled our walkway Sunday evening and it’s been totally fine to walk on (albeit carefully) since then. We had so much advance notice that a storm was coming AND what kind of storm it would be. No excuse not to have obtained a shovel ahead of time or to have sat on your butt all day Sunday watching it pile up.

I’m not sure where you live, but we shoveled twice on Sunday and it turned into an ice rink by Monday. I also note that I usually have no issue with shoveling my driveway; however, this week was hard — both my DH and I agreed it was a lot more difficult than in the past. We usually shovel a neighbor’s driveway, but we just didn’t have the energy this time.

Also, I assume you have children at home who can watch themselves, and maybe a spouse who helped you. Some people are single parents with small children who need constant supervision, making shoveling a challenge.

For future (and not trying to be a jerk trying to be helpful)...shovel during event and salt heavily even before final precipitation has fallen (we did this Sunday early evening) and then shovel following event and salt liberally on every surface. No ice rink. You would be down to pavement right now if you did that.

I am from Buffalo. The main difference here is definitely lack of same equipment but also we don't use salt same way. It's because it's very damaging to cars and not great for the environment either. However, it works. If you've ever heard the phrase "salt smart" (google it) that's what is going on here. If you salt the crap out of surfaces, which is what they do in these real snow climates, you're not in this position we are in today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 hour delay is almost certain for Monday, probably Tuesday as well. I doubt FCPS will be closed b/c of the PR problem, though I do worry about people getting hurt as the volume of people trying to navigate the snowcrete increases and more students (including youngkids walking/waiting for buses in the streets AND teen drivers) are out in the mix. Would be safest to stay closed Mon, delay opening Tues, and hope the increased temps make things safe from then on.

I don’t think we should keep schools closed/shortened so parents can avoid, you know, parenting. If its not safe for a teen to drive, the teens parents need to say they can’t drive and bring the kid to school themselves. If the bus stop is blocked parents need to either drive the kids or wait with them.

For all saying FCPS will get sued remember VA has contributory negligence.

It is perfectly safe for teens to drive. Not true for all teens.

Even the unplowed roads have had enough passes to make the residual ice chunky. The air is cold enough to prevent the chunky ice from becoming wet and slick. Chunky ice is very safe to drive on in this cold because your car can get traction as long as you don't drive or accelerate quickly. Ice driving becomes an issue when the ice is soft, wet, or flat, thin and glossy. The ice currently left on the roads is none of those things. It is hard, chunky and dry, which is very easy to drive on. "Very easy" Not so sure about that. All roads had enough passes? Don't know about that.

All of the main and secondary roads are bone dry and clear. Totally not true

The roads all are clear enough for us to have school. Not all. That's what is being debated here.

The only issues are parking, especially roadside parking, and sidewalks/bus stops which are often treacherous due to being unshoveled or covered with ice mounds. Not the only issues by far.

The sidewalks and bus stops are a safety hazard. very true

Vdot needs to clear all the school bus stops.

Impossible

Are you ffom some sub tropical Caribbean island where this is the first frozen stuff you have seen?

The main roads are completely clear. The local roads are all driveable. It is perfectly safe for teen drivers to be out driving. All true.

The issues are parking lots and roadside parking, which are a mess, and sidewalks and bis stops, many of which are treacherous

The roads are not an issue, not even the roads that are still covered. It is easy and safe to drive on cold dry chunky ice. In fact, the roads still covered in chunky ice are safer to drive on than the ones plowed close to the pavement with a thin layer of ice.

I think the issue is with roads that are still just one lane or where a merge lane hasn't been plowed. I don't know how buses get around in many areas. I say that as someone who has been driving around since Tuesday, as has my teen, but driving a bus route is a different story. All of the VDOT plows are in the southern part of the state now - there are only a few in Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite is people complaining on Facebook about sidewalks not being shoveled and saying there’s no way the kids can go to school because of it. As if someone is going to just come along and do it for them. I get that plows made everything harder by piling up snow. They did it to us too, but you have to get out there and work on it or find someone who can help. It’s like there is no concept of personal responsibility anymore. Everyone just throws their hands up and says there’s no possible solution.

How does one work on a glacier?

If people had worked on it as it was happening it would have been easier. We shoveled, pushed aside sleet, and then used shovels to break up the ice build up on Sunday. It sucked but our sidewalk and driveway were clear by Sunday afternoon. People who chose to wait made a choice and now are arguing that the ice is too much.

If you don’t see that starting early and sucking up the fact that it sucked early caused that glacier on your sidewalk, that is on you. Now figure out how to deal with it. Hardware stores sell tools that work on this stuff, you might need to buy one.

Exactly! We shoveled multiple times on Sunday. I shoveled our walkway Sunday evening and it’s been totally fine to walk on (albeit carefully) since then. We had so much advance notice that a storm was coming AND what kind of storm it would be. No excuse not to have obtained a shovel ahead of time or to have sat on your butt all day Sunday watching it pile up.

I’m not sure where you live, but we shoveled twice on Sunday and it turned into an ice rink by Monday. I also note that I usually have no issue with shoveling my driveway; however, this week was hard — both my DH and I agreed it was a lot more difficult than in the past. We usually shovel a neighbor’s driveway, but we just didn’t have the energy this time.

Also, I assume you have children at home who can watch themselves, and maybe a spouse who helped you. Some people are single parents with small children who need constant supervision, making shoveling a challenge.

For future (and not trying to be a jerk trying to be helpful)...shovel during event and salt heavily even before final precipitation has fallen (we did this Sunday early evening) and then shovel following event and salt liberally on every surface. No ice rink. You would be down to pavement right now if you did that.

I am from Buffalo. The main difference here is definitely lack of same equipment but also we don't use salt same way. It's because it's very damaging to cars and not great for the environment either. However, it works. If you've ever heard the phrase "salt smart" (google it) that's what is going on here. If you salt the crap out of surfaces, which is what they do in these real snow climates, you're not in this position we are in today.

Thank you. I am from the South, so I need this kind of advice. Should I salt my driveway before Wednesday (when we might have a little snow) or is it too late at this point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We can talk about optics all we want but I just saw a picture of the state of the buses in my school’s lot…. Still buried in snow, ice on the roof, etc. I don’t even know if that physically can be resolved by tomorrow morning.

Then drive the kids to school. It is ridiculous to keep school closed when the majority can get to school just fine.

We do not prioritize education in this country.

If buses can’t run, schools are closed lol. You can disagree with that but it’s how it works

Busses can run, if maintenance uses/used the full week since precipitation has ceased to clear them. Failure to do so is a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the FCPS staff group, bus drivers are reporting that over half of their stops (for some, over 90% of stops) are not accessible. Also that unless streets are made into one-ways, K+R will be a congested mess

It's more nuanced. Our bus stop, at a corner house, is completely covered as the homeowners have made no effort to shovel their sidewalk. (No, they are not elderly or disabled, just lazy, they cleared their driveway). BUT, one of the streets at that intersection--not the one the bus drives on--has no outlet and very little traffic. With a two hour delay to avoid waiting at the stop in the dark, kids can very easily wait in the street for the bus with no safety risk (there are always multiple parents at the bus stop). So I wouldn't call this "not accessible" but its not accessible the way it typically is.

I don't know what they'll end up doing. If I had to guess, I'd say two hour delay, but I really have no idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s the reasoning behind not letting us know what’s happening with schools tomorrow?
Surely they’ve already come to a decision.
there’s no pending weather event that makes this a wait and see situation.

Are they still debating what to do?

I agree. Maybe I’m “neurodivergent” but I need to visualize my schedule and movements at least a day in advance. Yes, I can hold multiple future paths in my mind at the same time, but it causes me a lot anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools will be open Monday. This is not a value judgement on whether they should or shouldn’t be, but if they felt Thursday & Friday were fine for 12-month staff to report on time, they’re not staying closed Monday.

Faulty reasoning. The issue is not if faculty can come to school (they can). The issue is the conditions are bad for kids who walk to school and use busses (per this thread, some bus stops are mountains of snowcrete).

So your solution is?

If FCPS can close months on end for a virus, they can certainly wait a few more days until enough ice has been busted up/melted to make it safe for most children to get to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools will be open Monday. This is not a value judgement on whether they should or shouldn’t be, but if they felt Thursday & Friday were fine for 12-month staff to report on time, they’re not staying closed Monday.

Faulty reasoning. The issue is not if faculty can come to school (they can). The issue is the conditions are bad for kids who walk to school and use busses (per this thread, some bus stops are mountains of snowcrete).

So your solution is?

If FCPS can close months on end for a virus, they can certainly wait a few more days until enough ice has been busted up/melted to make it safe for most children to get to school.

Melting isn't happening. And I'm not sure where you're seeing busting up happening, particularly at scale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. All of the schools have been cleared. There is no way that school will be canceled on Monday. Prepare yourselves.

And to the PP who said that their street still has not been plowed... It is very hard to believe your claim. If, by some chance, you speak the truth, why in the world did you not call VDOT on Tuesday to report the mistake?

There are streets in the Kingstowne area that have not been plowed yet. VDOT has been contacted several times.
Love your confidence, though!

Please do tell us which streets have not been plowed. So they we may go and marvel at your truthfulness.

And why not open schools and if parents don’t think safe or certain bus route not possible, those kids stay home excused? Why keep 179,000 other kids out of school because couple hundred kids can’t make it? Why do we close until every friggin square inch of the biggest county in area is clear??

Because teachers come from all over the county to work in a given school. Those teachers may live in areas that are impacted by the snow.

There is nowhere that is so severely impacted by snow that an adult can't leave their home. Main roads and highways are fine.

West Virginia, where two of my coworkers live, and Spotsylvania, where two other coworkers live, are still a mess.

Then by all means, let’s not educate almost 200,000 students because of West Virginia.

I NEVER said we should close FCPS schools due to four of my coworkers' areas being inaccessible, and it is shocking that an adult would jump to that conclusion. I expect my 14 and 15--year-old students to make those types of irrational leaps, and it is developmentally appropriate for them to do so, but it is frightening that an adult would do the same.

If you read the post to which I responded, it is extraordinarily clear that my reply was to the post that said "There is nowhere that is so severely impacted by snow that an adult can't leave their home. Main roads and highways are fine." I was pointing out that it is not true that there is "nowhere" tha is still inaccessible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite is people complaining on Facebook about sidewalks not being shoveled and saying there’s no way the kids can go to school because of it. As if someone is going to just come along and do it for them. I get that plows made everything harder by piling up snow. They did it to us too, but you have to get out there and work on it or find someone who can help. It’s like there is no concept of personal responsibility anymore. Everyone just throws their hands up and says there’s no possible solution.

How does one work on a glacier?

If people had worked on it as it was happening it would have been easier. We shoveled, pushed aside sleet, and then used shovels to break up the ice build up on Sunday. It sucked but our sidewalk and driveway were clear by Sunday afternoon. People who chose to wait made a choice and now are arguing that the ice is too much.

If you don’t see that starting early and sucking up the fact that it sucked early caused that glacier on your sidewalk, that is on you. Now figure out how to deal with it. Hardware stores sell tools that work on this stuff, you might need to buy one.

Exactly! We shoveled multiple times on Sunday. I shoveled our walkway Sunday evening and it’s been totally fine to walk on (albeit carefully) since then. We had so much advance notice that a storm was coming AND what kind of storm it would be. No excuse not to have obtained a shovel ahead of time or to have sat on your butt all day Sunday watching it pile up.

I’m not sure where you live, but we shoveled twice on Sunday and it turned into an ice rink by Monday. I also note that I usually have no issue with shoveling my driveway; however, this week was hard — both my DH and I agreed it was a lot more difficult than in the past. We usually shovel a neighbor’s driveway, but we just didn’t have the energy this time.

Also, I assume you have children at home who can watch themselves, and maybe a spouse who helped you. Some people are single parents with small children who need constant supervision, making shoveling a challenge.

For future (and not trying to be a jerk trying to be helpful)...shovel during event and salt heavily even before final precipitation has fallen (we did this Sunday early evening) and then shovel following event and salt liberally on every surface. No ice rink. You would be down to pavement right now if you did that.

I am from Buffalo. The main difference here is definitely lack of same equipment but also we don't use salt same way. It's because it's very damaging to cars and not great for the environment either. However, it works. If you've ever heard the phrase "salt smart" (google it) that's what is going on here. If you salt the crap out of surfaces, which is what they do in these real snow climates, you're not in this position we are in today.

Thank you. I am from the South, so I need this kind of advice. Should I salt my driveway before Wednesday (when we might have a little snow) or is it too late at this point?[/quote

Yes salt prior to any expected precipitation Wednesday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We can talk about optics all we want but I just saw a picture of the state of the buses in my school’s lot…. Still buried in snow, ice on the roof, etc. I don’t even know if that physically can be resolved by tomorrow morning.

Then drive the kids to school. It is ridiculous to keep school closed when the majority can get to school just fine.

We do not prioritize education in this country.

If buses can’t run, schools are closed lol. You can disagree with that but it’s how it works

Busses can run, if maintenance uses/used the full week since precipitation has ceased to clear them. Failure to do so is a choice.

It's crazy to me they are not doing bus runs until today, if that's true. Active phase of plowing and clearing has been over for a while. What are they waiting for? Look they don't do any better because there is zero accountability to do any better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools will be open Monday. This is not a value judgement on whether they should or shouldn’t be, but if they felt Thursday & Friday were fine for 12-month staff to report on time, they’re not staying closed Monday.

Actually they didn’t. I’d be happy to show you the emails where supervisors/principals were told to offer telework and virtual prof development for Thursday. And for Friday, it was a teacher workday where they already had the option to work in an alternate location. All administrators and office staff had the option to telework on Friday due to safety concerns about getting to school/office.

In short, no FCPS staff were directed to show up in person on Thursday or Friday because of safety concerns with commuting.

The email I received Friday said: “ All 12-month personnel are expected to report to their regular work locations on time.” There was an option to use leave if needed, but that’s no different from any other day.

So yeah, there was a directive to show up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We can talk about optics all we want but I just saw a picture of the state of the buses in my school’s lot…. Still buried in snow, ice on the roof, etc. I don’t even know if that physically can be resolved by tomorrow morning.

Then drive the kids to school. It is ridiculous to keep school closed when the majority can get to school just fine.

We do not prioritize education in this country.

If buses can’t run, schools are closed lol. You can disagree with that but it’s how it works

Busses can run, if maintenance uses/used the full week since precipitation has ceased to clear them. Failure to do so is a choice.

It's crazy to me they are not doing bus runs until today, if that's true. Active phase of plowing and clearing has been over for a while. What are they waiting for? Look they don't do any better because there is zero accountability to do any better.

Exactly. Go for a drive and look at the ice. That's what it's going to look like for the next 2-3 weeks.