The start of the week was tumultuous for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) teachers, parents and children. After five snow days the previous week, PGCPS planned to open Monday with a two-hour delay, only to reverse course by announcing shortly before 5 a.m. Monday that schools would remain closed and conditions would be reassessed for Tuesday. By Monday evening, a message on the school district’s website announced not only the closure of schools for Tuesday but also that PGCPS was “finalizing a formal virtual learning plan” that would be presented publicly, as state law requires, at an emergency Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, February 4. This move, which would not have allowed virtual learning to commence until at least Thursday, coupled with language about beginning “bridging to virtual learning” on Tuesday, February 3, signaled that the district was preparing for a longer closure. Then on Tuesday afternoon, PGCPS again surprised students and families by announcing they would open Wednesday, February 4, with a two-hour delay.
Adjusting the School Calendar
With schools opening Wednesday, February 4, PGCPS will have had a total of eight days of closures due to weather this school year. The current school calendar planned five make-up days to be converted if needed. Those are likely to be added to the calendar as instructional days now and are: Friday, March 20, which was scheduled to be a professional development day for teachers; Wednesday, May 27, Eid-al-Adha, which had been scheduled as a day off; and Monday, June 15, Tuesday, June 16, and Wednesday, June 17, which would extend the school year past the planned last day of Friday, June 12. At the Wednesday emergency virtual meeting, the school administration also planned to present an adjusted school calendar that would include the addition of three more potential instructional days on Monday, February 16, which is Presidents’ Day and a federal holiday; Monday, April 6, which is Easter Monday and was scheduled to be the final day of spring break; and Thursday, June 18, which would extend the school year another day into June, for a total of four days past the original last day. If approved, this would allow PGCPS to use those days to make up missed days of school. However, PGCPS may also apply to the State Board of Education for a waiver to the requirement to hold 180 days of instruction each year.
The pending potential school calendar change comes just days before Greenbelt’s summer camp registration opens to residents on Monday, February 9. Camps are scheduled to begin June 15. A representative from Greenbelt Recreation Department told the News Review that camps would likely still begin as planned, even if the school year was extended, noting some children attend private schools or are homeschooled and some send their children to camp even if school has not finished for the year. The Recreation Department is closely monitoring the situation with the county schools and would likely make adjustments to pricing for children who can’t attend all of the first session due to an extended school year, they told the News Review on Tuesday.
No Virtual Learning
PGCPS could not implement virtual learning during the snow closures as some schools did in neighboring districts. This is because they did not plan to use virtual learning and did not submit a virtual learning plan for Maryland State Department of Education approval at the start of the year. In a message on November 21, 2025, PGCPS stated that virtual learning would not be used during weather events this year, noting Maryland requires each day of virtual instruction to include at least four hours of live instruction (vs. asynchronous learning activities at the students’ own pace or timing), “which is not feasible for our school district.” The reasons given for finding virtual learning was not feasible included staff with children at home during closures, power outages that can disrupt internet access, no longer having widespread hotspots for internet access and K to 8 students no longer travelling back and forth with school devices.
Now, PGCPS says it will present a virtual learning plan that would meet state requirements and address their technology access at the emergency meeting on Wednesday, February 4, the day schools reopen. On Monday they created a mechanism for parents or guardians to request a device to use for virtual learning through ParentVue.
“This unprecedented weather event requires us to consider virtual instruction to maintain instructional continuity,” stated the message on PGCPS’ website on Monday. “Under Maryland regulations, formal virtual learning requires a minimum of four hours of daily synchronous (live) instruction. We are currently finalizing a formal virtual learning plan that meets all state requirements and addresses technology access for all students. State law requires this plan to be presented publicly, and we will do so at an Emergency Board of Education Meeting on Wednesday, February 4.” The message sounded like a plan for more days at home, speaking of “bridging to virtual learning” by providing grade-level instructional materials for students to use at home beginning Tuesday, February 3, though 24 hours later they’d announce the Wednesday opening.
Frigid Temperatures
Though winter storm Fern lasted just over 24 hours in the area, it left behind six or so inches of snow and then added inches of ice. A message from Interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph on Monday morning noted “severe and persistent icing,” particularly on sidewalks and walking paths used by students and stated, “we are intentionally allowing time for snow and ice to melt and for county and school-based teams to continue clearing, repairing and evaluating facilities.” Prior to Tuesday, there had not been a chance for snow and ice to melt since temperatures remained below freezing. The result was persistent frozen snow and ice that proved difficult to move and was dubbed “snowcrete.” With the exception of Tuesday, highs this week were not expected to reach much above freezing; the threat of thawing and refreezing when temperatures briefly rise presents another hazard to consider.
Other Challenges
Joseph’s Monday morning email also stated that multiple buildings and communities were affected by water main breaks and other “facility-level issues” that needed to be resolved before schools could safely reopen. There had been an essential water use only request from WSSC Water from Tuesday, January 27 to Monday, February 2 throughout Prince George’s and Montgomery counties due to a high number of water main breaks and leaks caused by the extreme cold temperatures. PGCPS was also monitoring anticipated staff and bus driver attendance, Joseph wrote.
Reopening
Following an aerial assessment of conditions across the region on Monday, Joseph stated that morning, “it is not feasible to clear every sidewalk across our more than 500-square-mile district.” On Tuesday, Joseph said schools would reopen with “flexibility, caution and care, while centering safety above all else.” Yet, he wrote, they believed it was in the best interest of students to return. “The most significant challenge to reopening remains conditions in some neighborhoods,” wrote Joseph on Tuesday. “These factors are largely beyond the direct control of the school system, yet they have real and uneven implications for student safety, especially for our youngest learners and those with additional needs.” Joseph warned families bus delays may occur in some neighborhoods due to road conditions, buses may not be able to access narrow or heavily iced streets and some sidewalks may remain uncleared. Absences due to safety concerns will be excused.
In the same message, Joseph said the administration’s thinking had evolved on virtual learning. “Virtual learning was not planned to be used as an option this year, as extended closures were not anticipated. Our thinking has evolved. We believe preparedness for worst-case scenarios is essential, and a well-planned virtual learning option strengthens our ability to provide continuity, access, and equity during future disruptions. The Board and community will have the opportunity to review this plan, provide feedback, and consider approval.”
In partnership with Greenbelt Recreation, Greenbelt Cinema again opened its doors to children and their caregivers on Tuesday for a free snow day movie. Should a virtual learning plan be approved on Wednesday it might be their last traditional snow day for the year.
The author is a parent with two children who attend PGCPS.
