Prince William County Public Schools Superintendent LaTanya McDade shed some light Wednesday night on why schools remained closed into Thursday for inclement weather.
The main issue, McDade said, is the nearly 50 roads in the county that remain “impassible” to school buses because they have not been fully plowed.
The school division’s transportation team is “concerned” about running buses down certain roads, and that impacts hundreds of different bus routes, McDade said.
McDade met with regional leaders for the Virginia Department of Transportation Wednesday along with school system Chief Operating Officer Vernon Bock, where they shared with the department specific bus routes the transportation department needs to pay attention to.
“They have committed to being strong collaborators and working with us and we’re hoping to get those routes up and running so that we can get students back in school as soon as possible, while we prioritize both education and safety,” McDade said.
Prince William operated on a two-hour delay Friday.
McDade also highlighted the work the division’s transportation team has been doing to get schools reopened.
“Our facilities and transportation teams literally work around the clock. Oftentimes they’re out at one in the morning, 3 a.m., because they know how important it is for us to get schools open,” she said.
Several School Board members expressed displeasure with roads not being cleared as of Wednesday and the prolonged school closures.
“I know this snow is more than we’ve had in years, but I think we were caught a little off guard, and by we I mean VDOT, so, yeah, I’m blaming them,” said Coles District School Board member Lisa Zargarpur.
School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef said this week’s closures due to uncleared roads is “unacceptable.”
McDade added the division is exploring the opportunity to plan for “emergency snow routes,” which she said the School Board and community members will hear more about in the coming days.
“That’s something that we may need to enact, depending on what the future holds for future inclement weather events,” McDade said.