Weather Monitoring and Our Commitment to Student Safety

Dear PWCS Families and Community Members,

The safety of our students, staff, and families is always our top priority. As weather conditions across our region continue to develop, I want to assure you that Prince William County Public Schools is actively monitoring the situation and working closely with our state and local partners to make informed decisions.

Weather-related decisions are not made in isolation; they involve collaboration with facilities staff, transportation teams, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and local and national meteorologists. Together, we evaluate conditions across our large and diverse county to determine the safest course of action. As of Thursday, January 22, the Governor of Virginia has announced a State of Emergency, and Prince William County is under a Winter Storm Warning starting Saturday night. Therefore, we are preparing for a significant weather event over the weekend and into Monday.

I invite you to review the PWCS operational procedures due to changing weather conditions. Depending on how conditions evolve, multiple weather-related codes may be used, and if the storm intensifies, a Code Red could be called to ensure safety. At this time, we do not anticipate the use of Code Orange next week. Code Orange is reserved for situations involving a prolonged loss of instructional minutes.

Although this Monday is a non-attendance day for students, it is a workday for teachers with parent-teacher conferences scheduled. Should a weather-related closure be necessary on Monday, parent-teacher conferences may be rescheduled with your child’s teacher once schools reopen.

As we move through the remainder of winter, we know additional inclement weather days are possible. We remain committed to prioritizing safety while continuing our core mission of education.

I want to express my sincere appreciation to our facilities, custodial, maintenance, transportation, and operations teams who work tirelessly before, during, and after weather events to prepare our schools for students and staff. I am especially grateful to our bus drivers, whose commitment helps ensure students are transported safely every day.

Thank you for your patience, partnership, and trust as we continue to navigate changing conditions together.

Sincerely,

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