Fairfax County Public Schools announced something that students will certainly cheer about — the return of real snow days, no matter how many occur.
FCPS is reverting back to it's former snow days plan — no virtual learning on days when school is closed due to inclement weather. There are 11 snow days built into the calendar and the move is "to maximize in-person learning and to ensure equitable access to instruction and student services for all students."
The policy the past two years has been for students to engage in virtual learning if there are more than five snow days in a school year.
"The move away from virtual learning on snow days does not, however, mean missed opportunities for educational engagement," FCPS announced. "Superintendent Dr. Michelle C. Reid encourages the community to contribute ideas for discovering and learning during the winter break and potential snow days. Suggestions can be sent to WinterDiscovery@fcps.edu. The school district plans to collect and share these ideas on the FCPS website, providing a valuable resource for students and families."
The policy in the City of Alexandria is a bit less clear cut. Students in grades K - 2 may bring home library books or work to do at home, but will not bring their Chromebooks home for virtual learning. Students in grades 3 - 5 will bring home their Chromebooks but will do asynchronous learning on the first day of a snowstorm. "Families will receive an update about the virtual learning format for the days ahead if school is closed for in-person instruction for more than one day," according to ACPS. Policies for older students are not included on the school system's Winter Weather Communications page.
Will It Snow?
It's an El Niño year, so whether it snows a lot or not at all is up in the air.
"El Niño is associated with above-average snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic, but that is largely because it can produce feast-or-famine winters with one or two major snowstorms along the Acela corridor from Washington to New York," according to a Washington Post analysis.
The Old Farmers' Almanac is expecting a cold and snowy winter across Virginia. "Along with above-normal snow, we’ll see normal to colder-than-normal temperatures in areas that typically receive snow," according to the Almanac's website.
In late November, the Washington Post reported that "meteorologists from the four major local television affiliates are generally forecasting above-average snowfall. Predicted totals range from 12 to 30 inches, in comparison with the 1991-2020 average of 13.7 inches:
Looking at the forecast for the rest of December, it is unlikely to snow — and often, the D.C. metro area gets most of its snow in January and February.
Washington, D.C. had a series of snowy winters from 2013 through 2016. The last winter with significant snowfall was 2020-2021, and that was still slightly below average. Last year, the metro area got just a few traces of snow with no real accumulation.
