Snow has begun falling, and we are closely monitoring its impact on our schools across the district. With forecasts predicting up to six inches of accumulation by early tomorrow morning, roads, sidewalks, and school campuses will not be safe or accessible for an on-time or delayed opening on Wednesday. However, our teams will be hard at work! Overnight and into the morning, MCPS operations crews will begin clearing snow from buses and depots while plowing, shoveling, and treating school parking lots and sidewalks. Meanwhile, our county partners will be working diligently to prepare highways and neighborhood streets to ensure safer travel conditions. This work will likely take throughout the day on Wednesday as we have 211 schools, seven bus depots and other facilities that will all need to be readied for students, staff and visitors.
Therefore, MCPS is announcing a Code Red closure for all schools and offices on Wednesday, February 12.
Please note the following for tomorrow (Wednesday):
- All schools and offices will be closed.
- Emergency personnel should report on time.
- All activities, field trips, and programs in schools and on school grounds will be canceled, including athletic practices and events.
- Childcare programs and community use activities are also canceled.Â
Important Reminder: An empty parking lot means we can plow and treat school parking lots and reopen faster. We encourage anyone with a vehicle in a school parking lot to remove it as soon as possible.
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Making decisions about weather-related closures are driven by the safety of students, staff, and visitors to our schools. Our ability to transport students, our staff’s ability to get to work, and school campus conditions after a weather event are all factors in weather-related closures. Conditions in one part of the county may be perfectly fine and drastic in another – the staff required to open your child’s school may be inhibited from getting to work because of conditions different than the ones in your neighborhood. Thank you for your understanding and support as we navigate inclement winter weather in Montgomery County’s 500 square miles.