This week’s snow closures will not result in later finish dates for DC area students

While the aftermath of Monday’s snowstorm caused many school districts in the D.C. region to close again on Tuesday, the closures are unlikely to delay the last day of school.

In Virginia, state law requires school districts to have 180 instructional days or 990 instructional hours each school year. As part of the calendar development process, many take inclement weather into account.

Fairfax County Public Schools, the state’s largest school division, “already exceeds the state minimum in instructional days and hours, so the snow days included ensure we are fully meeting instructional needs and students are getting what they need for the school year.” “said board member Melanie Meren.

Superintendent Michelle Reid is introducing the calendar, and the school district has begun organizing calendars for three years at a time, “which is a really great thing that the community loves,” Meren said.

Arlington Public Schools has now added 13 traditional snow days to its school calendar this year. Schools in Loudoun and Prince William County also have snow days on their calendars.

But in the nation’s capital, D.C. Public Schools has not added snow days to the calendar, a spokesman said. No decisions have been made yet, but the last day of school could be postponed due to closures due to weather.

Maryland, Montgomery and Prince George’s district schools both have built-in snow days on their calendars.

Frederick has incorporated five, a spokesman said, and “for every snow day we use, we plan for an additional day at the end of the school year in June.”

Snow days, Meren said, don’t have to be viewed as missed learning opportunities.

“The school division sends out these supplemental learning materials,” Meren said. “But it’s also a day to learn about the weather and enjoy it in a different way.”

In Fairfax County, Meren said, “While it looks safe in one part, it may not be safe in another, and we have a lot of buses and even learner drivers, and ultimately the state controls that the roads are plowed.”

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