Students in Arlington County, Virginia, will have a number of traditional snow days before they have to log on for virtual classes this winter, Superintendent Francisco Durán said at last Thursday’s school board meeting.
If a weather event prompts school to close, Durán said the school system will fully close for up to 13 days. The number is based on the school year calendar, which has to provide students with 180 days or 990 hours of class time to be in compliance with Virginia law.
If the county uses each of those 13 days, Arlington Public Schools would then turn to distance learning to meet the annual learning requirements, Durán said. To avoid virtual learning once all of the traditional snow days are used, Durán said the county would have to consider extending the school year or disrupting spring break.
“Our plan is to not disrupt the spring break or extend the school year,” Durán said Thursday. “If we go more than 13, we would, on those days, revert to distance learning. And obviously, we would have much more preparation as we get closer to that.”
See what the winter weather forecast is for the D.C. area.
When it’s possible to do so, Durán said the county will announce weather-related updates by 6 p.m. the night before. However, uncertainty in the forecast may result in the school district making an announcement by 5 a.m. the next morning, Durán added.
“There’s a lot of operational staff, whether it’s bus drivers, facilities and operations that do need to know well in advance, so that their safety is not at risk heading to work to try and come and get students to school,” Durán said. “We really work hard to think about the safety of all of our employees.”
Similar to last year, the school system will use weather codes to describe its operational status, whether it’s a delay, early closure or full closure.
More information is expected to be shared with county families later this week, Durán said.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for nearby Fairfax County Public Schools said the state’s largest school system is expected to release its winter weather plans soon.
Montgomery County, Maryland’s largest school system, will use the same procedure as last year, a spokesman said. That plan allows for flexibility for either a full closure or remote learning.
