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Parents urge district to revise snow‑closure approach after multi‑day shutdowns
Summary
Two speakers during public comment urged the school board to reassess snow‑day decisionmaking: one parent asked whether the district could do more to treat and clear back roads, and another speaker said extended weather closures were harming instruction and urged a different risk balance.
Two speakers during the Jan. 9 public‑comment period asked the Albemarle County School Board to reconsider its approach to weather‑related school closures after the recent multi‑day shutdown.
Katie George, a North Garden parent with first‑grade twins, said she understands the initial closures but said the repeated freezes and refreezes left her and other parents feeling the district lacked an adequate plan for sustained cold weather. She asked whether the district could salt or sand more roads, train bus drivers for winter driving or use chains so buses could run when secondary roads remained icy while main roads were cleared.
Bridal Byrne said the district has erred on the side of extreme caution and urged the board to recalibrate the risk profile so students do not lose instructional time unnecessarily. "I really think that we need to not be overly cautious in the interest of safety, such that we harm our children by losing the opportunity to educate them," Byrne said, while acknowledging the earlier days of the storm presented different conditions.
Board members and staff later explained that Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has statutory responsibility for treating and clearing public roads and that the recent multi‑region storm stretched VDOT resources; board members said they would consider communications changes to better explain road‑clearing responsibilities and conditions to families.
