Message from Superintendent Reid Regarding FCPS Status for Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Schools Closed, Offices Open by 11 a.m.

Hello Team FCPS,

I trust my note finds you enjoying this snow day.  I am writing today to share an update for tomorrow.  Please see the note below being sent to our community.

There are many reasons for the continued closure.  Our FCPS staff teams have spent countless hours, working shifts around the clock since Sunday night, working to clear school facility lots and walkways.  We are both proud and grateful for their efforts and continue to cheer them on as we work to safely open schools as soon as possible.

We continue to be grateful for our County and VDOT partners as they have also worked tirelessly to clear roads after this epic January storm. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the consecutive snow events, they have had challenges getting to secondary roads to support safe travel. VDOT focuses road clearing on primary roadways (highways, parkways, main thoroughfares) followed by secondary neighborhood roads.  The break between the initial 8-12” and the second snowfall of 1-4” forced VDOT in to doubling back on primary roadways, delaying the removal of snow in neighborhoods significantly.  Many of our secondary and neighborhood roads are still not cleared. 

Even with all of this work, recent snow clearing efforts have contributed to several issues affecting schools and safety.  We still have a number of bus stops where there are plowed snow piles which have created unsafe conditions, limiting visibility and access for students.  Further, even though we have approximately 130,000 students who ride FCPS busses each day, we have approximately 50,000 students who do not use FCPS transportation, many of whom are walkers and bikers.  Many of our sidewalks remain untreated for walkers and the aforementioned snow piles have also created concerns for the safety of our walking students.

Having shared this, I trust you will enjoy these days and I look forward to seeing you out in our schools in this new year. 

Best,

Michelle Reid, Ed.D. 
Superintendent