It’s that time of year and if you have recently turned on Ryan McElveen’s post notifications on twitter, you’re not alone. Students all over are in hopes each year that Fairfax County will provide multiple days off for students.
I’m neither a Farmer’s Almanac nor a meteorologist…nor a Fairfax County school board member; therefore, I can’t say for sure how many snow days we will have. There has been a recent update on a polar vortex approaching the area, which may result in days off from school. This polar vortex has been predicted to enter Virginia in mid-December, so if it feels warmer now, don’t worry. If you love the feeling of rapid cold winds, then you’re in for a treat. The amount of snow days we will have will be based on what the school board decides. We could have a week off, or we could have zero days off. It really just depends on the school board and the weather. Some students are not optimistic about the school board’s attitude this year.
“I doubt we will [have a lot of days off] because in the past years we’ve had less and less snow, and on days we did have snow, the county didn’t cancel school,” said junior Amity Ermharth.
Last year’s surprising decisions resulted in Fairfax County not having any snow days. However, WS did have a fire day. This is a big change compared to the amount of snow days in 2013-2014 which resulted in 11 days off from school. Some students think that Fairfax County’s decisions on cancelling school seem strict.
“I do think the system is too strict about giving out snow days. It seems like they’re afraid to give out snow days because it’ll snow again and we’ll miss even more school, but the immediate weather conditions and everyone’s safety should be prioritized over the number of days school is closed,” said Ermharth.
Overall, there are students at WS who think, based on the previous years, that this year’s snow season will either be a winter wonderland or a snow drought.
“I don’t think [the school board does a good job] because last time they didn’t cancel school, a kid broke his arm walking down the stairs,” said sophomore Amy Wang.