Sorry, kids: A snow day is not in the forecast for D.C. public school students if a predicted storm cancels the first day back to the city’s classrooms, officials said Friday.
“In the event a weather-related school closure is needed, virtual instruction will continue for all students,” Elizabeth Bartolomeo, deputy chief of communications for D.C. Public Schools, said in a statement Friday.
The students who signed up to return to in-person instruction on Monday would be sitting at desks for the first time this school year unless the snow — like the pandemic — thwarts their return yet again.
D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) and The Washington Teachers Union went back and forth for months over plans to reopen schools until finally reaching an agreement last month.
Instructor Laura Fuchs is one of several union members who still does not believe it is safe to teach face-to-face and she tweeted Friday that the weather agrees.
“Even the snow knows: DCPS should reopen #OnlyWhenItsSafe,” Ms. Fuchs tweeted.
Union members are planning to contest the schools’ reopening during a “#OnlyWhenItsSafe Caravan” Saturday that will end with a rally outside Mayor Muriel Bowser’s house.
Hours after the rally ends, a winter storm watch issued by the National Weather Service is set to go into effect late Saturday night through late Sunday night.
Up to eight inches of snow is expected to blanket the city between Sunday and Monday, according to forecasters who say it could be the region’s biggest storm in two years.
Snow likely will begin to fall Sunday morning and continue periodically throughout the day with up to six inches accumulating by night, according to AccuWeather.com.
Sleet and freezing rain is expected to join the snowfall overnight as the storm continues into Monday. Up to two inches of snow and sleet could build up throughout the day before tapering off into flurries at night.
The D.C. Department of Public Works did not immediately respond to an email request sent Friday for comment on the agency’s response plan.
• Emily Zantow can be reached at ezantow@washingtontimes.com.
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