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 Dur谩n said at last Thursday鈥檚 school board meeting.
If a weather event prompts school to close, Dur谩n said the school system will . 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, Dur谩n said. To avoid virtual learning once all of the traditional snow days are used, Dur谩n said the county would have to consider extending the school year or disrupting spring break.
鈥淥ur plan is to not disrupt the spring break or extend the school year,鈥� Dur谩n said Thursday. 鈥淚f 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.鈥�
See what the winter weather forecast is for the D.C. area.聽
When it鈥檚 possible to do so, Dur谩n 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, Dur谩n added.
鈥淭here’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,鈥� Dur谩n said. 鈥淲e really work hard to think about the safety of all of our employees.鈥�
Similar to last year, the school system will use weather codes to describe its operational status, whether it鈥檚 a delay, early closure or full closure.
More information is expected to be shared with county families later this week, Dur谩n said.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for nearby Fairfax County Public Schools said the state鈥檚 largest school system is expected to release its winter weather plans soon.
Montgomery County, Maryland鈥檚 largest school system, will use the , a spokesman said. That plan allows for flexibility for either a full closure or remote learning.
