When bad weather or other emergency situations occur, it may be necessary for Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) to modify normal operations by canceling school, delaying opening, closing schools early, or moving to virtual/remote learning.
The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority when making decisions.
PWCS reviews information from emergency management, meteorologists, and state highway administrators about road conditions, and school personnel also inspect the road conditions, sidewalks, parking lots, and bus lanes throughout the county. Decisions are made based on countywide conditions and weather forecasts to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and residents across more than 350 square miles, with significant elevation changes. This means closings may occur when conditions might not seem particularly bad in your immediate area. Please get to know the hazardous conditions codes we use in PWCS when changing operations due to weather.
Decisions are communicated as rapidly as possible.
PWCS tries to make decisions on delays and closings as many hours in advance as possible, in consideration of families who need time to make proper arrangements. In most cases, the decision will be made the night before, or in uncertain conditions, not later than 4:30 a.m. on the morning of closing. Once weather-related decisions are made, weather communications will then follow as rapidly as possible.
You make the ultimate decision.
As parents and guardians, if you feel conditions are unsafe and school is open, you have the option of not sending your student to school. If you elect not to send your student on a day when school is in session, they will receive an excused absence if the absence has been reported by their parent/guardian. Please report the absence to your student's school and the reason for the absence. Students will not be penalized academically, but are expected to make up all assignments.
Have a well-communicated plan in place.
In the event of early closing, which PWCS tries to avoid, students need to know where to go or what to do if a parent/guardian is not home. Please ensure your contact information is up-to-date in ParentVUE, as schools rely on this information to ensure your student's safety. Do not bring students to school on Code Red or Code Orange days, as staff will not be in the building.
PWCS provides information about closings and delays in many ways, including:
Email and text messages sent to parents/guardians (using the contact information provided in ParentVUE)
Make Sure You are Receiving Critical Messages from PWCS, Including Closings, Delays, and Emergencies
Parents and guardians of students and employees of Prince William County Public Schools are automatically enrolled in the PWCS notification messaging service.
PWCS central office and schools use this system to communicate delayed opening and school closing information, emergency messages, and to send attendance, lunch account balance, and school communications. Messages are delivered using the contact information provided by parents and employees.
Updating Contact Information
It is important to keep your emergency contact information up to date. Parents can update their student's emergency contact information online by completing the Annual Back to School Packet in ParentVUE.
Employees can view and update their contact information through the Employee Self Service system.