The morning of a possible snow day in Arlington County features a mix of exhilarated students and fretful parents running to check their computers and phones for the announcement that will either send them back to bed or outside to clean their cars. “Snow days,” or the cancellation of school due to snow or ice, are highly anticipated by students, but can be an ordeal for parents. When inclement weather rolls into the D.C. Metropolitan area, school districts determine whether it is too dangerous for students and teachers to report for school.
A snow day is decided by a team of Arlington Public Schools (APS) administrators and staff who work together to make the best decision possible. APS tries to make a decision that will keep everyone safe, however, complaints often come up no matter what choice is made. “Why isn’t school cancelled?” is a common phrase to hear when school doors remain open despite the snow. On the other hand, “the roads aren’t that bad” is often muttered after APS chooses to cancel or delay school.
The early morning hours of a possible snow day involve many moving parts, and Linda Erdos, Assistant Superintendent for School and Community Relations, offered some insight into how APS makes the decision to cancel school.
“On the morning of a snow or ice event, staff from the APS Transportation team are usually out driving the roads by 3 a.m. to check their condition. They usually take out two or more buses to drive around the county, particularly on our bus routes, to determine if the roads are clear for safe passage,” Erdos said.
APS staff also communicates with the county about the conditions of local roads and estimates on how long it will take to clear the roads.
“Sometimes, APS staff can identify areas and routes that that need attention to allow school to open, either on time or with a delay,” Erdos said.
The final decision to cancel or delay school is made by Superintendent Patrick Murphy, after he talks with John Chadwick, Assistant Superintendent for Facilities and Operation.
“I speak to Superintendent [Murphy] at 4 [a.m.] with a recommendation from my team, and then the decision is usually made by 4:30 [a.m.] or so,” Chadwick said.
As soon as APS decides that there will be a snow day, they use all the methods at their disposal to communicate with parents, students and faculty. They release their status on the APS website, through APS School Talk text and email, Twitter, Facebook, local TV and radio stations, newspapers, the APS hotline and to all APS staff and crossing guards.
“Our goal is to complete all notifications by 5:00 a.m.,” Erdos said.
While students enjoy the extra hours of sleep that they will get if the decision is made the night before, APS wants to make every effort to open school if it is possible and safe to do so.
“For the most part, we only announce decisions the night before when we have had larger storms … when we have forecasts of only 1-2 inches, we rarely make a decision about the next day’s operations because we have often found that the actual snowfall did not match the forecast,” Erdos said.
APS also takes into consideration the conditions of sidewalks and parking lots after there have been large storms. Depending on the progress made by road crews, and estimates for road clearing, they may decide to announce a snow day the night before.
The difference between a snow day and two hour delay is a prominent question. APS looks at various factors to decide whether school will be delayed or closed for the day.
“We base our decision on the current Arlington County road conditions at 4:00 a.m. as well as continued forecast for later in the day–including precipitation and temperatures. We also take into consideration reports from the county road crews on their estimates for road conditions later in the morning,” Erdos said.
If temperatures are extremely low in the morning, APS may issue a two hour delay so students do not have to wait at the bus stop.
“Then another issue is temperature often drops just before dawn, and even the slightest bit of moisture on the roads can make them really icy, and the last thing you want is a bus sliding around the county,” Chadwick said.
Another question about snow days is why other counties may have them when Arlington does not. It is not uncommon to hear students say, “Fairfax doesn’t have school, so why do we?”
“As we have frequently experienced, the amount of snow varies greatly across the region. In addition, each school district’s decision also varies greatly, depending on how well each of their local county or city road crews can clear the routes in their respective communities,” Erdos said.
While APS does not base their decision off of other school districts, they do check on what other school districts in the area are planning. APS also has to consider how their bus drivers will report to work in inclement weather.
“A lot of our drivers don’t live in Arlington, and they live further south and further west… and very often the bad weather is coming from that direction, so we have to think about whether our drivers will even be able to get here,” Chadwick said.
When there is a snow day, all school buildings are closed for that day, and all school activities are cancelled unless otherwise announced. Extended Day and Check-in, programs that provide before and after school child-care, are closed. However, administrative offices usually remain open.
While snow days can be both a hassle and a nice break, their purpose is to keep APS students and staff safe. The decision to cancel or delay school involves many factors and varies depending on the storm. It takes a team of APS employees, who put in an incredible amount of effort to ensure that no one has to venture to school in unsafe conditions. Whether you love or hate snow days, they are not decided lightly and are in the interest of everyone’s safety.
