School Opening/Delay Info for Prince William County Schools on Friday

Prince William County Schools will open two hours late Friday, January 24, 2014.

From the district: On Friday, January 24, all Prince William County Public Schools will open 2 hours late. SACC will open two hours late. Bus delays are possible in unplowed or unpaved areas. Please make plans to deal with unexpected delays. Parents always have the option to keep children home if they have safety concerns.

More Info

There will be no school for students on Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, as previously scheduled. And elementary students will have a half-day on Tuesday, Jan. 28, for teacher conferences.

Grades and report cards will now be issued Feb. 6, later than had previously been scheduled.

The district has 3.6 hours of time remaining before students would have to make up for cancelled classes, school officials said. As for Friday, the current forecast in Woodbridge calls for clear skies with temperatures in the 20s.

The district released the following statement Thursday:

All PWCS report cards will be distributed later than originally planned to adjust for weather-related school closings and delays. Report cards will now come out on February 6.

The delay will give teachers additional time to complete student assessments and submit grade reports. Principals will establish deadlines appropriate to the new schedule. The revised timeline will enable the timely communication of midyear reports for consideration by colleges and programs.

The January 27 teacher work day and planned half-day elementary conferences on January 28 will proceed as originally scheduled. There will be no school for all students on January 27. Elementary students will have early release on January 28, in keeping with the approved PWCS calendar.

PWCS is currently exploring options for making up time, if needed, to meet the minimum instructional hours required by the Commonwealth of Virginia.  As of January 23, PWCS has approximately 3.6 hours remaining under the current approved school calendar before additional losses of instructional time create any risk of falling below state minimums. Updated information will be provided, as needed. 

Should schools be closed or delayed Friday? Tell us in the comments section below.

"The decision to change the school schedule is not made lightly," Superintendent Steven Walts wrote in a letter to parents this fall.

The district's transportation staff monitor roads and weather conditions in busy and remote travel areas of the county. The district also pulls information from the Virginia Department of Transportation, area police and the weather service.

"This combined information yields the best decision for the safety of everyone across our large School Division," Walts noted.