PWCS Food and Nutrition staff distributing meal kits to families

Dear PWCS Families, Employees, and Community,

I recognize this has been a challenging week for everyone due to the winter storm and related school closures. On Wednesday evening, I shared a letter outlining the many factors that go into the decision to close, delay, or reopen our schools. These complex decisions require the need to balance our readiness to welcome students back with very real concerns about streets, neighborhood walkways, bus stop access, and the basic needs many of our students rely on schools to meet each day.

As a result of the extended closure, our food and nutrition staff provided meal services for our families yesterday and today. I would like to thank our food and nutrition staff for coordinating the delivery of free meal kits at three school locations. Yesterday, in as little as three hours, our dedicated staff provided more than 1,900 meal kits with enough food for two days at Fred Lynn, Hampton, and Unity Braxton Middle Schools. They also provided additional meal kits today.

I also wish to thank Prince William County Community Foundation for supporting students and families every year and for partnering with us to launch 10 new school food pantries in the Food Pantry Pilot Program. I hope you will consider donating to this essential cause.

Additionally, I express my deep gratitude to the countless staff members across our division who worked proudly behind the scenes to clear buildings and grounds, prepare buses and classrooms, and ensure our schools are safe, warm, and ready. Their dedication, resilience, and heart for our students and their education are what make progress toward reopening possible. Check out the progress of their work in this video.

While we are planning for a full return to in-person learning on Monday, February 2, please note that temperatures over the weekend are expected to be well below freezing and will cause poor walking conditions to persist. Any additional loss of instructional time may necessitate the implementation of a virtual teacher workday and/or the use of virtual learning for students next week. We will continue to monitor weather-related conditions and additional information regarding the plan for reopening on Monday, February 2, will be shared with staff and families over the weekend.

As winter weather continues to impact our region, I encourage all staff and families to regularly review weather-related updates on our website. This remains the best source for timely information regarding school operations, delays, or closures.

Thank you for your continued dedication to our students, our families, and one another.

Sincerely,
Dr. McDade signature
LaTanya D. McDade, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Prince William County Public Schools