Before extreme winter weather arrives, we want to make sure you know about the various scheduling options we will consider, how to find out about school schedule changes, and our plan for remote learning in the case of an extended closure.

When bad weather becomes a factor in the school schedule, our top priority is the safety of our students, staff, and other members of our community. For each unique weather event, we consider information from several sources to help us decide if we should open on time, open on a delay, close schools, or dismiss early. The most complete resource for information is our Closings, Delays & Early Dismissals web page, which explains our inclement weather decision-making process and details our scheduling options, our decision and communication timelines, all of the ways you can find out about schedule changes, and more.

Fastest Ways for Employees to Find Out About School Schedule Changes

• Receive an alert via phone, email and/or text through our Electronic School Notification System. As an employee, your ACPS email address is automatically enrolled in our notification system, but you can add a personal email address and up to two phone numbers for receiving voice and/or text messages. Click here to enroll, review or update your contact information.
• Call the School Schedule Hotline at 434-296-5886 to listen to a prerecorded message about school operations for the day. The recording is updated by 5:30 a.m.

The division also communicates inclement weather decisions on our website, our Facebook and Twitter accounts, and several local radio and television stations and local media websites.

Remote Learning

Schools are required to be in session for 180 days or 990 clock hours each school year. Our 2022-23 School Year Calendar includes 1,050 hours of instructional time, which provides the equivalent of 10 school days above the minimum requirement. ACPS tracks our use of these “banked” days and hours when we have school delays or closures due to inclement weather here: Weather Closures 22-23. 

After ACPS utilizes five banked days (or 30 banked hours), the superintendent will decide if the division will institute remote learning days. If that occurs, remote learning days may be utilized during multi-day closures and could start on the second day or later of each multi-day weather event. Remote instruction may be synchronous (live, teacher-led, and online) or asynchronous (independent). In either case, remote learning will focus on material that already has been taught to students.

All staff are expected to work on remote learning days. Your principal or department head will share more specifics with you about work expectations during these days.

Guidance for 12-Month Employees

School Board Policy GCQC, Coverage of Schools Due to Weather and/or Emergency, gives the superintendent or designee the ability to determine if inclement weather warrants a schedule change for 12-month employees. The policy also addresses liberal leave (see GCQC-AP, Section II).

For each schedule change, the superintendent will issue guidance to 12-month employees regarding expectations for reporting to work. Minimally, this guidance will be provided in the email sent through our Electronic School Notification System, on the ACPS website, and through the School Schedule Hotline (434-296-5886).

A Note About Essential Personnel: Essential personnel, such as school-based Building Services employees and custodians, are expected to work during building delays and closures, regardless of weather. Supervisors will ensure that employees are aware of the appropriate reporting schedules for different situations.

Special Thanks

We’d especially like to thank our Transportation Services Road Assessment Team for waking up early and braving potentially hazardous road conditions to help the school division make informed and safe choices for our students and staff. We’d also like to recognize the essential personnel who report to work regardless of weather conditions in order to keep our buildings operating efficiently.