Fairfax County Public Schools Stay Open In Snowstorm, Sparking National Outrage And Viral Twitter Hashtag

Fairfax Public Schools stayed open in the snowstorm, prompting nationwide outrage and a viral Twitter hashtag – #closeFCPS. The public school district is located in Fairfax County, Virginia. The story is currently trending worldwide on Twitter, there is no lack of outrage and child safety concerns being voiced on the social media platform.

FCPS reportedly decided to stay open during the massive snowstorm even though surrounding schools in the Washington, D.C. area opted to close. The first major snowstorm of 2015 caused school closings in numerous states in an effort to keep children home and off the roads for safety reasons. Many other school districts opted instead for a two-hour delay in an effort to give road crews time to clear the streets and allow the education process to go on after the snow stopped falling.

Fairfax County Public Schools issued a statement about the decision to remain open during the snowstorm after news of the classes as usual scheduled went viral.

“We apologize for the difficulties the weather caused this morning. Please know that significant area government entities were coordinating at a very early hour. The decision was made with the best information we had very early this morning. Needless to say, the conditions were far worse than anticipated. Weather conditions are expected to improve around midday. At this time, we are planning to dismiss schools at their normal dismissal time, however, we are continuing to closely monitor the situation and will keep parents apprised. We are aware that people are asking us to cancel school. Students are safest at school when parents have not had a chance to make alternate plans for their child’s return home from school. However, should you wish to pick up your child early, we will accommodate you. Again we apologize for the difficulties experienced this morning and we thank you for your patience.”

Virginia State Police reportedly experienced a “higher than usual” number of traffic accidents earlier this morning. The Fairfax County Police Department stated that road conditions “deteriorated” throughout the morning and also reported a higher number of traffic accidents.

Fairfax County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Jeff Platenberg released a video detailing how school delay and closure decisions are made and said “student safety” is the prime factor when such discussions are called for during inclement weather.

What do you think about the Fairfax County Public Schools decision to remain open during the snowstorm?

[Image via: NBC News]