Students in Alexandria City Public Schools might be expected to attend school virtually on “snow days” this year.
Instead of giving students a day off due to inclement winter weather, Alexandria City Public Schools are asking students to bring home their devices this winter in case weather makes it impossible to safely transport students to school buildings.
Snow showers are in the forecast for Wednesday.
“As a general practice during the winter weather season, it is recommended that students take home their computers/devices and instructional materials at the end of each school day. This will ensure that students have the necessary materials at home for virtual learning if schools must close due to winter weather conditions,” read an item in ACPS Express.
“Our goal is to support continuity of learning while also preserving any future days when schools may need to close,” the notice stated.
On Facebook, parents immediately raised concerns about whether teachers will have adequate time to prepare to switch from in-person to virtual education for a snow day. And other parents have already decided they’ll be calling their children in absent on days that there is enough snow to play in.
ACPS officials said they will continue to try to make a decision about weather-related closures the night before, but may not be able to make a good decision until 5 a.m. the day of the predicted storm.
In Fairfax County, the first five “snow days” will be days off for students. If there are more than five days of school building closure due to weather over the course of the winter, students will switch to virtual education for the sixth and subsequent days of closure.
