FAIRFAX, Virginia — Students in Virginia's largest school system have the potential for more snow days this year.
In a message posted on the Fairfax County Public Schools website, Superintendent Michelle Reid said there won't be any virtual learning days if schools are closed for inclement weather. This is a change from last year.
Right now, 11 school days are built in to the school year calendar. On snow days, students will still have access to digital resources as needed.
The full statement is below:
I have an update to share about our inclement weather policy. For the 2023-24 school year, FCPS will be reverting to its former policy for snow days — there will be no virtual learning days when school is closed due to inclement weather this year. With 11 snow days built into our existing calendar, eliminating virtual learning days will enable us to maximize our in-person learning and provide for equitable access to instruction and student services for each and every one of our students.
Having said this, there are many ways we can maximize learning during snow days that as a community we can support. To that end, I encourage you to share ideas for discovering and learning about winter that our students can use during the winter break and during snow days should they become a reality this winter. In order that we have a way to share these best practices, please respond to WinterDiscovery@fcps.edu so that we can collect your ideas and share these on our FCPS website for all to enjoy.
During snow days, students may still access Tutor.com, complete any supplemental learning opportunities recommended by their teachers, and view educational programming (available virtually and on public access television channels):
- Elementary school instruction: Red Apple 21
- Middle school instruction: Channel 25
- High school instruction: Channel 99
I am looking forward to continued learning even when the snow might cancel traditional classroom instruction. There are so many opportunities to learn even when we are not in our classrooms. And though this year’s snow days won’t feature virtual instruction, I trust our students will still have plenty of learning opportunities, whether it’s the physics of sledding down a hill or experimenting with ratios to make the perfect mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream! ;>) Learning spaces abound!!
Meanwhile, Arlington County Public Schools says it will close for up to 13 snow days before students would transition to virtual learning.
In Montgomery County, which is Maryland's largest school system, the snow day policy stays the same as last year — they will allow for either virtual learning or a full closure.
DC Public Schools will have traditional snow days with no virtual instruction in the event we need to close school buildings due to inclement weather.
The last few winters have been lackluster to say the least in terms of snowfall for the DMV. For the 2022-2023 season, the region saw less than half an inch all winter long at Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport; even less snow was recorded at Baltimore/Washington International.
But this upcoming winter could bring good news for snow lovers. While it's best not to get your hopes too high, we are working with a strong El Niño pattern this winter, which can mean feast or famine in terms of snowfall. The WUSA9 Weather Team thinks this strong El Niño winter will be feast, not famine in the snowfall department.