My husband went to school in MN and he said they were still expected to show up unless it was -50 or something crazy out. Of course the city and drivers were well versed in plowing and driving snow.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way there will be school on Friday. The wind chill is forecast to be -11 (11 below zero) at 8:00 a.m. No way they can expect kids or crossing guards to be out in that.

I'm usually one who says "buy a scarf and wear a hat" -- but 11 below zero is too cold to be out. That is just not o.k. for kids. That is blizzard weather even if snow isn't falling.

While I don't disagree, I'm curious what places like Wisconsin and Minnesota do?

Growing up, our school system had a policy to close only when it was -33 or more (actual temp, not wind chill).

Montgomery County just announced a 2-hour delay with a re-evaluation at 5:30am.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS covers such a wide area, it isn't fair to areas where nothing prevents them from opening. I say each school principal should make the call. Our area got dusting, not even a half inch of snow. Meanwhile, I'm paying for extra childcare costs, because I can't take leave last minute like that with all my afternoon meetings.

+1. Our daycare nominally follows FCPS for closures but so often, the roads are perfectly fine in our area while FCPS closes because it's crap out in Sterling or wherever so daycare will send out a notice saying they're still opening.

DH was shocked that FCPS doesn't split the county into zones for closures. Back home (in the great white north) closures are called on a town by town or school by school basis since the county is so large, weather varies widely from one end of the county to the other.

FCPS alumna and native here. This has been a suggestion since, well, 1976. The answer always has been and still is that precisely because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, this is not a viable solution. Consider now that fewer schools are neighborhood-only schools/serve as SACC/Head Start preschool sites, are center/magnet schools/serve free-and-reduced price breakfast and lunches, are staffed with commuters. You'd have base schools open but AAP kids unable to safely be transported, or some siblings home and others at school. Logistical nightmare for all adults involved.

Maybe, possibly a grid or area plan would have worked circa pre-1975, in the dark ages when most FCPS kids walked to school and/or could run home or climb a fence at lunch or recess to grab a forgotten lunchbox!

I would counter that, because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, the current method is not a viable solution.

I agree.

Due to the size of the county the only system that makes sense is closing by cluster or pyramid.

There are no more clusters in FCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS covers such a wide area, it isn't fair to areas where nothing prevents them from opening. I say each school principal should make the call. Our area got dusting, not even a half inch of snow. Meanwhile, I'm paying for extra childcare costs, because I can't take leave last minute like that with all my afternoon meetings.

+1. Our daycare nominally follows FCPS for closures but so often, the roads are perfectly fine in our area while FCPS closes because it's crap out in Sterling or wherever so daycare will send out a notice saying they're still opening.

DH was shocked that FCPS doesn't split the county into zones for closures. Back home (in the great white north) closures are called on a town by town or school by school basis since the county is so large, weather varies widely from one end of the county to the other.

FCPS alumna and native here. This has been a suggestion since, well, 1976. The answer always has been and still is that precisely because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, this is not a viable solution. Consider now that fewer schools are neighborhood-only schools/serve as SACC/Head Start preschool sites, are center/magnet schools/serve free-and-reduced price breakfast and lunches, are staffed with commuters. You'd have base schools open but AAP kids unable to safely be transported, or some siblings home and others at school. Logistical nightmare for all adults involved.

Maybe, possibly a grid or area plan would have worked circa pre-1975, in the dark ages when most FCPS kids walked to school and/or could run home or climb a fence at lunch or recess to grab a forgotten lunchbox!

I would counter that, because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, the current method is not a viable solution.

It generates lots of complaints but I would hardly say it's unviable. Closing school for inclement weather is viable and normal, in any school system. In FCPS, it is sometimes for isolated or local inclement weather, but it is still the normal weather closures that all school systems have.

+1 It seems viable to me to day since almost every school system in the area was out too. It was fairly widespread. There are tons of “snow days” (manufactured but they are there) so, it shouldn’t surprise parents if they are used.

What is wrong with a snow day anyway?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS covers such a wide area, it isn't fair to areas where nothing prevents them from opening. I say each school principal should make the call. Our area got dusting, not even a half inch of snow. Meanwhile, I'm paying for extra childcare costs, because I can't take leave last minute like that with all my afternoon meetings.

+1. Our daycare nominally follows FCPS for closures but so often, the roads are perfectly fine in our area while FCPS closes because it's crap out in Sterling or wherever so daycare will send out a notice saying they're still opening.

DH was shocked that FCPS doesn't split the county into zones for closures. Back home (in the great white north) closures are called on a town by town or school by school basis since the county is so large, weather varies widely from one end of the county to the other.

FCPS alumna and native here. This has been a suggestion since, well, 1976. The answer always has been and still is that precisely because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, this is not a viable solution. Consider now that fewer schools are neighborhood-only schools/serve as SACC/Head Start preschool sites, are center/magnet schools/serve free-and-reduced price breakfast and lunches, are staffed with commuters. You'd have base schools open but AAP kids unable to safely be transported, or some siblings home and others at school. Logistical nightmare for all adults involved.

Maybe, possibly a grid or area plan would have worked circa pre-1975, in the dark ages when most FCPS kids walked to school and/or could run home or climb a fence at lunch or recess to grab a forgotten lunchbox!

I would counter that, because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, the current method is not a viable solution.

I agree.

Due to the size of the county the only system that makes sense is closing by cluster or pyramid.

Really?

Your assumption is that these decisions are often made based on one small area of the county that is causing closures for the rest of the county. Do you know for a fact what the weather and road conditions are like in Herndon versus Lorton vs Great Falls at any given moment? What evidence is there that it's typically 30 degrees and clear in one part of the county and 24 degrees and snowing with unsafe roads in another part (and it staying that way). This notion that there are these dramatic differences in weather and travel conditions in one part of the county versus another is tired and unproven.

And due to the size of the county (the 10th largest school system in the US with over 188,000 students in a concentrated area), it doesn't make sense to close by region (clusters have been gone for several years) or pyramid. Is your assumption is that every kid goes to school in his/her neighborhood or pyramid? If so, how would decisions be made for places like TJ or for centers where students come from different pyramids to receive special ed services. Currently there isn’t an AAP Center in every pyramid. If the AAP center is closed, but there are students who live in a pyramid that isn’t closed, will a parent have to take off for that one kid while their siblings go to school? Also explain how school would be staffed when many teachers live in one part of the county, but work in the other. Should a teacher who lives in Herndon where it might be snowing more heavily and where school is closed have to go to work if she teaches in Alexandria at a Rte 1 school where the snow might not be as heavy and school is open? And what about her childcare if her own kids’ school is closed?

The logistics and communication for that would be a sh*tshow. Some days, it's awful and unsafe to travel in most of the county. Who makes that decision about what's safe enough for one pyramid or region over another? There's enough second guessing going on already. Can you imagine the can of worms you open when you start making decisions based on specific regions? And yes, there are probably school systems that do make decisions this way. If so, please share which ones are comparable in student size and geographic size.

Are snow days inconvenient for many parents who work outside the home? Sure. And so is having a kid that is sick. Right now there is no other "viable solutions" to either of these issues. Kids who are sick cannot come to school and severe weather conditions cause schools to be closed. Both are about safe-guarding the well-being and safety of children.

Anonymous wrote:Since when is freezing rain changing to all rain with temps well above freezing "an ice storm?"

It changes in the middle.of the day, after lunch for high schools and an hour or two before the end of the day for middle schools.

During travel times for all three levels of school it will be sleeting and the roads will be slick.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS covers such a wide area, it isn't fair to areas where nothing prevents them from opening. I say each school principal should make the call. Our area got dusting, not even a half inch of snow. Meanwhile, I'm paying for extra childcare costs, because I can't take leave last minute like that with all my afternoon meetings.

+1. Our daycare nominally follows FCPS for closures but so often, the roads are perfectly fine in our area while FCPS closes because it's crap out in Sterling or wherever so daycare will send out a notice saying they're still opening.

DH was shocked that FCPS doesn't split the county into zones for closures. Back home (in the great white north) closures are called on a town by town or school by school basis since the county is so large, weather varies widely from one end of the county to the other.

FCPS alumna and native here. This has been a suggestion since, well, 1976. The answer always has been and still is that precisely because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, this is not a viable solution. Consider now that fewer schools are neighborhood-only schools/serve as SACC/Head Start preschool sites, are center/magnet schools/serve free-and-reduced price breakfast and lunches, are staffed with commuters. You'd have base schools open but AAP kids unable to safely be transported, or some siblings home and others at school. Logistical nightmare for all adults involved.

Maybe, possibly a grid or area plan would have worked circa pre-1975, in the dark ages when most FCPS kids walked to school and/or could run home or climb a fence at lunch or recess to grab a forgotten lunchbox!

I would counter that, because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, the current method is not a viable solution.

I agree.

Due to the size of the county the only system that makes sense is closing by cluster or pyramid.

Anonymous wrote:OP chill! They've been closed 1 day!!! This is one of the biggest storms to hit the east coast and wind chills tomorrow are below freezing.

There is no ice storm on Monday! It's 40 degrees.

This is what NOAA shows:

Monday
Rain, freezing rain, and sleet likely, becoming all rain after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

OP chill! They've been closed 1 day!!! This is one of the biggest storms to hit the east coast and wind chills tomorrow are below freezing.

There is no ice storm on Monday! It's 40 degrees.

Anonymous wrote:No way there will be school on Friday. The wind chill is forecast to be -11 (11 below zero) at 8:00 a.m. No way they can expect kids or crossing guards to be out in that.

I'm usually one who says "buy a scarf and wear a hat" -- but 11 below zero is too cold to be out. That is just not o.k. for kids. That is blizzard weather even if snow isn't falling.

While I don't disagree, I'm curious what places like Wisconsin and Minnesota do?

No way there will be school on Friday. The wind chill is forecast to be -11 (11 below zero) at 8:00 a.m. No way they can expect kids or crossing guards to be out in that.

I'm usually one who says "buy a scarf and wear a hat" -- but 11 below zero is too cold to be out. That is just not o.k. for kids. That is blizzard weather even if snow isn't falling.

Since when is freezing rain changing to all rain with temps well above freezing "an ice storm?"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS covers such a wide area, it isn't fair to areas where nothing prevents them from opening. I say each school principal should make the call. Our area got dusting, not even a half inch of snow. Meanwhile, I'm paying for extra childcare costs, because I can't take leave last minute like that with all my afternoon meetings.

+1. Our daycare nominally follows FCPS for closures but so often, the roads are perfectly fine in our area while FCPS closes because it's crap out in Sterling or wherever so daycare will send out a notice saying they're still opening.

DH was shocked that FCPS doesn't split the county into zones for closures. Back home (in the great white north) closures are called on a town by town or school by school basis since the county is so large, weather varies widely from one end of the county to the other.

FCPS alumna and native here. This has been a suggestion since, well, 1976. The answer always has been and still is that precisely because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, this is not a viable solution. Consider now that fewer schools are neighborhood-only schools/serve as SACC/Head Start preschool sites, are center/magnet schools/serve free-and-reduced price breakfast and lunches, are staffed with commuters. You'd have base schools open but AAP kids unable to safely be transported, or some siblings home and others at school. Logistical nightmare for all adults involved.

Maybe, possibly a grid or area plan would have worked circa pre-1975, in the dark ages when most FCPS kids walked to school and/or could run home or climb a fence at lunch or recess to grab a forgotten lunchbox!

I could see it being an issue on the margins but how far do kids really travel from their base school (other than TJ)? I'd think you could keep pyramids/AAP clusters/etc together... it's not like Chesterbrook would be closed but Haycock open. School by school doesn't make sense but regionally should be doable.

Commuting teachers could be an issue though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS covers such a wide area, it isn't fair to areas where nothing prevents them from opening. I say each school principal should make the call. Our area got dusting, not even a half inch of snow. Meanwhile, I'm paying for extra childcare costs, because I can't take leave last minute like that with all my afternoon meetings.

+1. Our daycare nominally follows FCPS for closures but so often, the roads are perfectly fine in our area while FCPS closes because it's crap out in Sterling or wherever so daycare will send out a notice saying they're still opening.

DH was shocked that FCPS doesn't split the county into zones for closures. Back home (in the great white north) closures are called on a town by town or school by school basis since the county is so large, weather varies widely from one end of the county to the other.

FCPS alumna and native here. This has been a suggestion since, well, 1976. The answer always has been and still is that precisely because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, this is not a viable solution. Consider now that fewer schools are neighborhood-only schools/serve as SACC/Head Start preschool sites, are center/magnet schools/serve free-and-reduced price breakfast and lunches, are staffed with commuters. You'd have base schools open but AAP kids unable to safely be transported, or some siblings home and others at school. Logistical nightmare for all adults involved.

Maybe, possibly a grid or area plan would have worked circa pre-1975, in the dark ages when most FCPS kids walked to school and/or could run home or climb a fence at lunch or recess to grab a forgotten lunchbox!

I would counter that, because of the sheer size and expanse of the county, the current method is not a viable solution.

It generates lots of complaints but I would hardly say it's unviable. Closing school for inclement weather is viable and normal, in any school system. In FCPS, it is sometimes for isolated or local inclement weather, but it is still the normal weather closures that all school systems have.