Several schools around the D.C. region were poised to reopen Tuesday after more than a week of winter storm-related closures.
Although D.C. Public Schools announced it would reopen last week, districts in the suburbs of Northern Virginia and Maryland cited concerns such as transportation and pedestrian safety as a reason to remain closed.
But Monday evening, many districts surrounding the nation’s capital announced they would open on a delayed schedule Tuesday. The slate of schools included districts in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax County in Virginia; and Montgomery County and Howard County in Maryland. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said that D.C. Public Schools would open at their normal times on Tuesday after more than a week of cancellations and late starts.
One exception: Prince George’s County Public Schools said it would remain closed Tuesday because of icy roads and sidewalks.
Still, school officials warned that the conditions are hazardous and to expect some transportation delays. In Montgomery County, school officials said it would “not be an easy return,” and notified families that buses may not be able to reach every stop because of snow on county roadways.
The winter storm on Jan. 25 was an exceptional one in the D.C. area, according to the Capital Weather Gang. It was paired with a historic amount of sleet falling at uncommonly low temperatures. Continuing low temperatures gave the snow little chance to naturally dissipate over the week. Monday was the first time in nine days that the temperature was above freezing.
Some jurisdictions were slow to plow and treat their roadways, frustrating some residents. But across the region, government officials said the ice complicated their treatment plans; in some cases, it broke snowplows or required specialized equipment. Those conditions made it tougher for school buses, which require large turn radiuses, to safely navigate roads. Students with special-education needs that have legally required door-to-door transportation also couldn’t safely get on their buses.
School leaders had difficulty staffing their schools because of the road conditions. Most schools did not offer virtual instruction, with the exception of Alexandria City Public Schools.
“Many of our teachers, support staff and bus drivers do not live in the city of Alexandria, and so when their school communities close, it also impacts their ability to care for their kids,” Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins said in a video posted on X. “And so we see a number of folks calling out.”
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid said untreated sidewalks hindered reopening. She added that the school system relies on the Virginia Department of Transportation, homeowners associations and county residents to clear sidewalks in neighborhoods leading to schools. But “that’s been a hit or miss in a number of neighborhoods around this really large county,” she said in an interview Monday.
Reid said the school system, which is Virginia’s largest, was able to open after thousands of district staff cleared 40,000 parking spaces and 400 acres of paved area. She called it “a huge effort in this … really unusual icy circumstance.”
Montgomery County spokeswoman Liliana Lopez said in a phone interview that the school system did not reopen because the buses could not safely operate on some of roadways and the sidewalks were hazardous for students to walk on.
She said the district decided to reopen Tuesday because the school facilities were prepared to open, and school leaders believed a two-hour delay would give families enough time to travel safely.
“We needed to get back to school and we are hoping that everything will work out,” Lopez said, “But at the same time, we want to make sure that people know we are being very candid — conditions are not perfect.”
Montgomery County government leaders are hosting an oversight hearing Tuesday to discuss its storm response. County council members said the discussion will outline the expected time frame for completing cleanup operations and review how leaders prepared before the storm hit.
In neighboring Prince George’s County, school officials announced the district would remain closed Tuesday, saying that an aerial review “confirmed significant safety concerns.” School leaders said in an announcement to families that several schools are in neighborhoods with narrow roads and tight turns, and persistent icing on streets and sidewalks continue to pose a significant safety risk to students.
The school system, which is Maryland’s second-largest, announced it would adjust its school calendar to add makeup days. School probably will be open on Presidents’ Day, Feb. 16, though the district has to make a request from the state to do that. School leaders also wrote they are preparing to conduct virtual instruction if another major storm occurs this winter.
In D.C., many parents and some city officials criticized the mayor’s decision to reopen last week, given that significant stretches of roads and sidewalks were caked in “snowcrete” while in classrooms hundreds of students endured cold temperatures, some in the 40s and 50s, after HVAC systems failed at a handful of DCPS schools.
Most public charter schools follow the district’s lead on weather-related closings and delays but many remained closed late last week. Executive Director Monica Green said in an email that Capital Village Public Charter School remained closed all of last week “out of abundance of caution as many neighborhood streets are still untreated.”
On Monday, Capital Village and a slew of other public charter schools reopened with a delayed start. A handful remained closed or held classes virtually.
Bowser said Monday that she was pleased that “a good number” of public charter schools had decided to reopen this week.
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