Finding Information on Snow Closings and Delays for Fairfax County Residents is not difficult, but it can be helpful to know exactly where to go when the snow hits the ground.
For the second morning in a row, I woke up to winter weather information. Both days, the snow missed my
community entirely, but it prompted me to gather the necessary information about school closings. Snow on the ground will often create a 1 or 2 hour delay for Fairfax County Public Schools. Don't assume that the story ends there; Officials will sometimes revise the plan as the morning goes on and they get more information about road conditions and weather. In other words, once you see snow, stay tuned to some news outlet for additional information.
A long time Fairfax County Parent, I have found the quickest way to get the information about snow closings is to go to www.nbc4.com and their School Closing Site. They run the information across the screen of the television channel (Channel 4 or 504 on Verizon), too.
Fox News Channel 5 also does a great job of providing quick and timely updates. At their Winter Weather Site, you can find information about local school closings and delays.
If you are a new parent to Fairfax County Schools, and it begins snowing while school is in session, make sure you pay close attention to local news outlets. Our area is neither equipped nor experienced for transporting students in heavy snow, and it is not unheard of to close schools early. I have found that my favorite news radio station, WTOP (103.5,103.9 and 107.7 on the FM dial) and www.wtop.com is the best source for early closing information (in addition to the television stations already mentioned).
Fairfax County has a well-versed plan for how to handle all aspects of emergency weather, Fairfax County Inclement Weather Plans. It provides information from how the days will be made up to what the delay does to the Kindergarten bus schedule and everything else a parent would need to know. It is worth reading ahead of time, so you are familiar with how the county responds to different situations.
Fairfax County Public Schools has its own television station for making these announcements,TV Channel 21 (Cox Communications, Reston Comcast, and Verizon cable customers only), but I have found that the local stations I mentioned often get the information posted first.
Finally, FCPS provides announcements sent out by email and text. you must register for this service, Fairfax County Keep In Touch (KIT) notification system.
I hope this list helps you to find out information for Fairfax County Public Schools Snow delays, closings and early dismissal plan. Let's hope we don't have much need to use this information!
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