Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"We might close" is not communication. It's speculation that causes anxiety.

I really can't believe what Alexandria's school system has become.

What would you have preferred? No communication and then the possibility of a surprise delay that leaves families scrambling? A premature delay and then realizing the next day it wasn’t really necessary?

I don’t defend much of what ACPS has done over the last two years, but this one they got right.

There was no real reason to close, so the message was not needed. Are we going to have a lslow creep to nightly status emails about the next day? Lord help us.

If that’s your worst problem, you are a blessed individual.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"We might close" is not communication. It's speculation that causes anxiety.

I really can't believe what Alexandria's school system has become.

What would you have preferred? No communication and then the possibility of a surprise delay that leaves families scrambling? A premature delay and then realizing the next day it wasn’t really necessary?

I don’t defend much of what ACPS has done over the last two years, but this one they got right.

There was no real reason to close, so the message was not needed. Are we going to have a lslow creep to nightly status emails about the next day? Lord help us.

At 4 pm on Sunday, the roads were covered with water and the forecast was that the temperatures were going to drop into the upper 20s. Considering those two facts, there was the possibility of significant black ice Monday morning that would justify a delay but the conditions were uncertain. ACPS warned everyone to check back in the morning about the need for a delay. It turned out the temperatures did not drop fast enough for black ice to be a problem so there was no delay. I am not how this could have been better handled. ACPS clearly communicated for once and avoided an unnecessary delay.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"We might close" is not communication. It's speculation that causes anxiety.

I really can't believe what Alexandria's school system has become.

What would you have preferred? No communication and then the possibility of a surprise delay that leaves families scrambling? A premature delay and then realizing the next day it wasn’t really necessary?

I don’t defend much of what ACPS has done over the last two years, but this one they got right.

There was no real reason to close, so the message was not needed. Are we going to have a lslow creep to nightly status emails about the next day? Lord help us.

Anonymous wrote:"We might close" is not communication. It's speculation that causes anxiety.

I really can't believe what Alexandria's school system has become.

What would you have preferred? No communication and then the possibility of a surprise delay that leaves families scrambling? A premature delay and then realizing the next day it wasn’t really necessary?

I don’t defend much of what ACPS has done over the last two years, but this one they got right.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"We might close" is not communication. It's speculation that causes anxiety.

I really can't believe what Alexandria's school system has become.

I am not someone who generally defends ACPS but it handled this issue very well for the reasons stated above. It is winter and people need to be aware of the weather but also it is good to avoid delays if they aren’t necessary.

Furthermore, the text brought you to a detailed page with more information for why “we might close.” It was weather related.

Anonymous wrote:"We might close" is not communication. It's speculation that causes anxiety.

I really can't believe what Alexandria's school system has become.

I am not someone who generally defends ACPS but it handled this issue very well for the reasons stated above. It is winter and people need to be aware of the weather but also it is good to avoid delays if they aren’t necessary.

"We might close" is not communication. It's speculation that causes anxiety.

I really can't believe what Alexandria's school system has become.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually think this is the right approach. Give families a heads up about the possibility the night before so they can start making a Plan B. Calling it tonight it too soon and we don’t know what things will look like in the morning (though temps are dipping into the 20s).

Agree. So many have requested more communication and transparency. This is literally saying due to weather there’s a possibility of a delay and updates will happen tomorrow at 5am. It gives some time to alert work, shift calls, etc now for the possibility.

Agreed. That notification was a good call by ACPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ACPS has rightfully earned a lot of the criticism thrown its way, but here:

1) parents asked for more transparency related to potential school closures, which they gave.

2) parents complained about unnecessary school closures/delays, which they avoided today.

That sums it up nicely!

Agree! And prior to 2020 I think most ACPS parents would see the communication for what it was, an effort towards transparency. But since that hasn't really been our experience with ACPS for 2+ years it's not surprising that any announcement from ACPS was greeted with apprehension, fear and suspicion.

Anonymous wrote:ACPS has rightfully earned a lot of the criticism thrown its way, but here:

1) parents asked for more transparency related to potential school closures, which they gave.

2) parents complained about unnecessary school closures/delays, which they avoided today.

That sums it up nicely!

ACPS has rightfully earned a lot of the criticism thrown its way, but here:

1) parents asked for more transparency related to potential school closures, which they gave.

2) parents complained about unnecessary school closures/delays, which they avoided today.

I just saw that too. I don't think I've ever seen that "possible" announcement before.


Schools can’t win. They make a decision, parents complain about notice. They warn of a possible decision, parents complain.

Parents suck.

Eh, there is a lot of complaining, true, but most parents have been going through a really hard time over the past two years, just like schools, kids, and teachers.

Anonymous wrote:I just saw that too. I don't think I've ever seen that "possible" announcement before.

Schools can’t win. They make a decision, parents complain about notice. They warn of a possible decision, parents complain.

Parents suck.