Fairfax Co. Public Schools Decide On Feb. 5-6 Schedules

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County Public Schools will open on a two-hour delay on both Thursday and Friday, Feb. 5 and 6, Superintendent Michelle C. Reid said in an email sent to FCPS families on Wednesday.

With the delay, students will travel during daylight hours, which will be safer, according to Reid.

"As we look to the rest of the week and the persistent presence of snow and ice on many of our sidewalks and bus stops, we feel the safest thing to do for our students and staff is to continue with our delayed start times," she said.

Central and school offices will open on time Thursday and Friday. FCPS plans to open schools on time next week, with updated information provided on Sunday afternoon.

These activities in schools and on school grounds are canceled or delayed:

• Morning preschool and special education classes are canceled.
• Full-day preschool, special education, and Early Head Start/PreK classes start two hours later than the regular schedule.
• Morning field trips are canceled.
• Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled. Transportation will be provided for academy classes that start after 12:45 p.m.
• Adult high school and GED courses will start two hours later than the regular schedule.
• Homebound instruction will begin at 10 a.m.

In addition, School Age Child Care and Beyond the Bell centers will open at 8 a.m. Afternoon preschool classes will start on their regular schedule, and Adult and Community Education classes will start on time.

FCPS’ Office of Transportation Services will notify families of any changes to bus stops due to road conditions. There may be some delays.

"We ask families to monitor the Bus Delay website to get up-to-date information on the route status," Reid said. "The website will record if a bus is running more than 10 minutes late. Parents will also receive an email if a bus is more than 30 minutes late."

Families that feel staying home is safer are asked to call their child’s school to get an excused absence. Additional updates will be available on the FCPS website and the FCPS mobile app.